Mysticism and Philosophy (and Possibly Music)

Please note the event times below. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided. Click here to stream the event on ASU Live.

3:45 - 4:00 p.m., Book Sale, foyer of West Hall 135

4:00 - 5:00 p.m., Talk on Mysticism and Philosophy (and Possibly Music)

5:00 - 5:30 p.m., Book Sale and Book Signing, foyer of West Hall 135

Why mysticism? It has been called “experience in its most intense form,” and in his new book the philosopher Simon Critchley poses a simple question to the reader: Wouldn’t you like to taste this intensity? Wouldn’t you like to be lifted up and out of yourself into a sheer feeling of aliveness, both your life and those of the creatures that surround you? If so, it might be well worthwhile trying to learn what is meant by mysticism and how it can shift, elevate, and deepen the sense of our lives. 

Mysticism is not primarily a theoretical issue. It's not a question of religious belief but of felt experience and daily practice. A rough and ready definition of mysticism is that it is a way of systematically freeing yourself of your standard habits, your usual fancies and imaginings so as to see what is there and stand with what is there ecstatically. Mysticism is the practical possibility of the achievement of a fluid openness between thought and existence. 

This is a book about trying to get outside oneself, to lose oneself, while knowing that the self is not something that can ever be fully lost. It is also a book about Julian of Norwich, Anne Carson, Annie Dillard, T.S. Eliot, and Nick Cave. It shows how listening to music can be secular worship. It is a book full of learning, puzzlement, pleasure, and wonder. It opens the door to mysticism not as something unworldly and unimaginable, but as a way of life. 

Please scroll down to download a PDF sample of the book, "Mysticism."

Simon Critchley has written over twenty books, including studies of Greek tragedy, David Bowie, football, Shakespeare, how philosophers die and a novella. He is the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York and a Director of the Onassis Foundation. As coeditor of The Stone at the New York Times, Critchley showed that philosophy plays a vital role in the public realm.

This event is co-sponsored by The Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict’s Spirituality and Public Life Initiative. 

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