In his books, Andre Comte-Sponville describes a spirituality in which there is neither God nor religion. He calls for tolerance and openness and outlines the path by which non-believers can fill their inner life.
«Atheists must create a type of spirituality that is consistent with the idea of a world where there is no God.» This appeal of the philosopher André Comte-Sponville causes confusion among those for whom spirituality is synonymous with religiosity. Meanwhile, he is convinced that everyone who has a mind also has a spiritual life. It’s not about going on a crusade against all religions, and certainly not about making fun of believers. If there’s anything to fight for, he says, it’s secular spirituality and freedom of conscience. His call for tolerance and openness is especially relevant now, when all sorts of fundamentalists are pushing us to bloodshed.
Psychologies: Why do you advocate secular spirituality?
Andre Comte-Sponville: There are three main reasons. First and most important, for many years I have wanted to speak out about spirituality. I am an atheist, a materialist and a rationalist, but this is no reason to abandon the spiritual life. If I am an atheist, this does not mean that I will agree to «castrate» my soul! Atheists have no less interest than believers in the spiritual life. The second reason is the religious renaissance, including in the most dangerous forms: fundamentalism, obscurantism, fanaticism… It seems to me that it is important to fight against this without falling into the same intolerance as fanatical believers. This is just the third reason — the desire to show that it is possible to defend the ideals of the Enlightenment and secular society without falling into hatred of religion.
- What is love?
What does it mean to be an atheist?
A.K.-S.: It means believing that God does not exist. «Negative» faith is also faith. This is where the atheist differs from the agnostic, who doesn’t believe in anything, he simply refuses to pass judgment. I take a completely different position! I am not neutral or indifferent. I don’t have evidence — no one has any in these matters. But the arguments against the existence of God I consider more weighty than the arguments in his favor.
- Break line. After the Parisian bloodshed, we became even further from Paris
Why, despite the weakness of the evidence, does the belief in God persist in society?
A.K.-S.: Most believers today have abandoned the notorious «proofs» of the existence of God. And it would be incorrect to reproach them for this — one cannot hold on to the impossible … Their God is felt more by the heart than by the mind. He is known more through faith than through evidence of his presence. Faith in God persists because there is no evidence of his non-existence. Because the existence of the Creator seems to explain the even more mysterious existence of the universe. But what will explain the Creator himself? Finally, and most importantly, because this faith meets the needs of people — for encouragement, protection, love, comfort … The Almighty Father, full of love and mercy, is a support in life, even if it is imaginary. It’s hard to refuse this! But there is also death — one’s own or the death of loved ones … To believe in God is almost always to believe in life after death. It’s comforting. Atheism is in some ways more difficult. But does truth have to be simple? It is in our power, using this «difficulty», to feel courage, peace of mind, happiness …
What then is the difference between the biblical God, fairy fairies and werewolves?
A.K.-S.: Three thousand years of civilization! And also some of the greatest geniuses in the history of mankind. This is especially true of philosophy. Saint Augustine, Descartes, Pascal, Leibniz, Kant, Kierkegaard, Bergson, Levinas, Ricoeur and many others recognized themselves in the God of Abraham and Jacob. And fairies and werewolves are convincing only for children and the ignorant. I take the Jewish-Christian tradition seriously.
Is that why you call yourself a «staunch atheist»?
A.K.-S.: Yes. I am an atheist because I don’t believe in any God. But I am faithful to the principles that this tradition carries in itself. The moral of the gospel suits me. And then, our entire civilization is Judeo-Christian. Is it because I am an atheist that I should strive to destroy it? To argue in this way is to confuse atheism with barbarism or nihilism. This is not for me! Rather, I want to pass on to my children the moral values on which I myself was raised, which have shaped our history, our society, the way we live and the way we love. Lack of faith in God is no reason to abandon justice, peace, love, our ideas about life and humanity.
- About relationships with the Creator of the Universe
How is spirituality different from religiosity?
A.K.-S.: It’s like a whole and a part. Spirituality is the life of the spirit. Religion is just one of its forms. Since for centuries in Western countries the only observable form of spirituality was religion (namely Christianity), people eventually came to believe that religion and spirituality were one and the same. But this is not so at all. It is enough to step back a few steps, whether in time (say, to the Greek sages) or in space (for example, to the East, Buddhist or Taoist), to discover the greatest spiritual traditions that are by no means religions in the Western sense, then is faith in God.
What is this «spirituality without God»?
A.K.-S.: First of all, there is everything that concerns morality, ethics, what I call loyalty to tradition. But there is also another side. Spiritual life is the life of the spirit, the rational life. But what is mind? “A thing that thinks,” Descartes would have answered. It doesn’t matter what kind of «thing» it is — a brain, as I think, or an immaterial substance, as Descartes believed. This very ability that we have is important — to think, to love, to want. The brain is needed not only to read a car atlas or order something via the Internet. We are finite beings facing infinity, transient beings open to eternity, limited beings striving for the absolute. Spirituality lies in discovering this connection in oneself, experiencing it, living it. In this, spirituality comes into contact with mysticism, which can manifest itself in the form of an «altered state of consciousness», in the words of our psychologists. In other words, it can manifest itself in a number of special experiences: at the same time mystery and evidence, completeness, simplicity, unity, serenity, acceptance, freedom … Strictly speaking, this is what Freud called «oceanic feeling»: not a meeting with a Completely Other — God, but merging with Exactly the Same — with nature, becoming, the eternal present.
This is what I sought to understand, relying both on Western philosophers — Epicurus, Marcus Aurelius, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein — and on Eastern thinkers — Lao Tzu, Nagarjuna, Prajnanpada, Krishnamurti … Philosophy has no boundaries. Spirituality too.
You are asking us to let go of the ego. Where did you get this idea from?
A.K.-S.: From experience. There are things that are much more interesting to love than oneself, to experience which are immeasurably more exciting than selfishness or narcissism. You can’t consider yourself the center of the universe all your life and not see beyond your own nose! You can not completely go in cycles in your unconscious, be interested only in your «I». The spirituality I propose has nothing to do with introspection or secluded existence in the cozy cocoon of the inner life. It is rather openness to other people, to the world, to infinity.
Why do you say that hope is a hindrance to action?
“TO HOPE IS TO WANT WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE. IT IS MUCH BETTER TO DESIRE WHAT WE HAVE, THAT IS TO LOVE.
A.K.-S.: It does not necessarily prevent action, but it cannot replace action. To hope is to wish for something beyond your control. It is better to will what depends on you—in other words, it is better to want and, therefore, to act. Such is the spirit of stoicism. To hope is to wish for what is not. It is better to desire what is, that is, to love. This is the spirit of Spinoza’s teaching, which merges with the spirit of the Gospel. So, it’s not about forbidding yourself to hope, but about learning to act and love.
Are you sure that you managed to become a real atheist?
«MY GOAL IS TO BE NOT AN ATHEIST, BUT TO BE FREE, SAFE, PEACED OF SPIRIT AND AS HAPPY AS POSSIBLE.»
A.K.-S.: Now this is not a problem for me! I must say that in general it is very easy to be an atheist — many fools are very good at it. The main goal is not to be an atheist, but to be a free, healthy, calm soul and as happy as possible. In fact, this is what is called wisdom. You will probably ask me if I have become a real sage … Of course not! And this is another reason to continue to engage in philosophy! I seem to have moved a little in this direction since I was a teenager. But my life goes on, and so does philosophy.