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So, what is
Spiritualism?
In due time,
professor
Herculano Pires
had the
opportunity to
assert:
“Spiritualism,
which was in a
way born just
yesterday, in
the middle of
last Century, is
today the ‘Big
Stranger’ to
those who praise
it and approve
it and to those
who criticize
and attack it.
This affirmation
leads us to
understand that
this young
spiritualistic
philosophy is
still ignored,
whether by some
of its members,
or detractors.
At the time of
Kardec, as still
is today, those
who know little
about
Spiritualism
tend to take it
for what it is
not: another
religion or
sect, with its
mysteries,
alleged priests
who dedicate to
consult with the
obscurity of the
dead for the
most varied
purposes,
according to the
imagination of
those who
criticize it and
also not being
able to be taken
seriously even
by the most
charitable
member of
Spiritualism,
due to the lack
of commitment to
the truth by
critics. By
giving opinions
about something
one does not
know reveals the
levity of the
critic.
On the other
hand,
Herculano’s
affirmation
warns us the
spiritualists
need to know
well
Spiritualism, by
deeply studying
Kardec’s
doctrine in
order to edify
in their soul
the conviction
on the
philosophical
principles that
they claim to
have adopted,
and take
advantage of
them for their
spiritual
progress.
But, in order to
answer the
question
proposed in the
title of this
article, it is
important to
consider Allan
Kardec’s notes
in the sense of
formulating a
concept about
the Doctrine of
Spirits. The
master states:
“Spiritualism
is, at the same
time, a science
of observation
and a
philosophical
doctrine. As a
practical
science, it
consists of the
relationships
you can
establish with
the Spirits; as
a philosophy, it
encompasses all
the moral
consequences
from these
relationships”.(2)
By the way, in
the same book he
defines again
Spiritualism
under the same
triad
highlighted
above. He says:
“Spiritualism is
presented under
three different
aspects: the
aspect of
manifestations,
the principles
and the
philosophy from
which they
derive from and
the application
of theses
principles”.(3)
The
manifestation
aspect consists
in the
experimental or
scientific angle
where these are
the object of
observation, and
is related to
the paradigm of
positive
sciences during
the 19th
Century,
although Kardec
did not boxed
himself into
them when
structuring the
basis of a
science outlined
by
inter-existential
collaborations(4),
whose method and
philosophical
consequences are
born from the
partnership
established by
him with Mediums
and Spirits in
the relentless
study of
spontaneous
communications
or through the
works obtained
by the evocation
of Spirits.
Let’s see why
the concept we
speak about
points out
Spiritualism as
a philosophical
science with
moral
consequences,
and, as
highlighted in
Allan Kardec’s
writings, no
word is in vain,
as Rivail, the
educator, was
always trying to
be accurate in
his writings in
order to
communicate well
his ideas, we’ll
try here to
study the
categories of
thought:
“scientific”,
“philosophical”
and “moral” in
order to build
some
understanding
about the nature
of Spiritualism,
which brings the
question
presented
hereby.
In order to do
so, I recur to a
dictionary of
philosophy,
which I use I my
profession as a
teacher and I
consider rather
didactic.
The Basic
Dictionary of
Philosophy.(5)
Spiritualistic
Science
There we find
two concepts;
one more classic
and another that
can be
considered
modern under the
entry science.
The authors deem
science an
amount of
knowledge that
are acquired
methodically,
systematized and
made available
to be
transported into
teaching, hence
its
appropriation
and diffusion.
Science
can be conceived
as a type of
knowledge formed
by a range of
intellectual
acquisitions
which aims at a
rational and
objective
explanation of
reality, or of
some phenomena.
I’d add: it
takes place
through
experimentation
and the
universalizing
of results.
It is worth
mentioning, as
Edgar Morin
says,
“Scientific
theories stem
from human
spirits in the
core of a
culture hic
et nunc”.(5)
This way, the
experimental
aspect of
Spiritualism
lies within a
context that
matches the
scientific
rationality of
that time, which
was biased
towards
positivity,
Kardec expands
productively the
boundaries set
by the
scientific
paradigm
prevailing then.
Spiritualism, as
a science of
observation, has
as the object of
observation the
investigation of
the
relationships
between Spirits
with the
corporeal world,
as mentioned by
Kardec in the
Book of Spirits.
His methodology
of research is
widely described
by him in The
Book of
Mediums,
where he
advocates a safe
way to deal with
Spirits during
serious séances.
Through this
methodology we
can unveil the
invisible world
and have a
glimpse of the
immortality of
the soul,
attested by
mediumship.
By the
Spiritualistic
Revue, a
magazine
published by
Kardec from 1858
to 1869, records
we see that the
séances at the
Parisian Society
of
Spiritualistic
Studies, founded
by the master in
1858, the
dialogue with
Spirits served a
clear
educational
purpose and as a
guiding
principle of the
applied
methodology. The
master, when
presiding medium
works, evoked
Superior Spirits
in order to
argue them about
philosophical
issues of great
depth, through
the help of
mediums.
Sometimes
communications
took place
spontaneously.
Even when
dealing with
suffering
Spirits and
educating them
by using
fraternal and
clarifying
words, Kardec
got knowledge
about the path
of man on earth,
in view of the
spiritual
evolution of
incarnates and
disincarnates
alike.
He never took
any Spirit for a
privileged
revealer or
their thesis as
infallible
truth. He
compared
teachings, from
both Paris and
elsewhere, thus
examining
rationally and
comparing
communications
and extracting,
as a common
element, the
philosophical
postulate of
Spiritualism or
any teaching
that claim to be
Spiritualistic.
Kardec called
this way of
verifying the
universal
control of the
teaching of
Spirits.(7)
Another
interesting
element of
Spiritualistic
Science is that
it is presented
as progressive,
in its Kardecian
foundation, and
the dialogical
towards ordinary
sciences. About
this the master
pointed out:
“Spiritualism,
marching with
progress, will
never be
outdated
because, if new
discoveries
proved some
points of
Spiritualism to
be wrong
somehow, they
would change
them and accept
new truths as
they are
revealed.(8)
Spiritualistic
Philosophy
In order to
understand the
philosophical
aspect of
Spiritualism it
is advisable to
concept
philosophy;
however this is
isn’t an easy
task either. It
is possible to
see philosophy
as an exercise
of search or the
“love of wisdom”
(Pythagoras).
This way, we
find in the
afore mentioned
dictionary,
philosophy
portrayed as a
search for the
appropriation of
principles that
ones sets out to
acquire. In the
philosophical
tradition,
throughout its
history,
philosophy was
understood as
the wholeness of
knowledge.
In the middle
ages it was put
as a servant to
Theology. In
modern times
philosophy
appears as an
adventure of
emancipation
from religious
thought,
establishing
itself for
investigating
“first
principles” and
therefore
contributing
with science in
its fundaments
and consequences
as well as
analyzing the
reasons for
human action.
Nowadays,
philosophy
proposes a
doubt, a healthy
skepticism and
critical thought
around the human
being, the world
and knowledge
itself…
Spiritualist
Philosophy
appears with the
publication of
“The Book Of
Spirits”, where
we derive the
principles and
the
philosophical
unfoldings from,
which later were
developed and
brought to light
in the other
fundamental
works
(9)É.
It is a
philosophy that
teaches
self-knowledge
as an
indispensable
tool for the
intellectual -
moral evolution
of the Spirit
and
Spiritualism,
being a new view
of man and the
world, has a
characteristic
of philosophical
thinking,
structured in
the research of
knowledge, the
being and the
universe. Having
its basis as
experimental,
its philosophy
as existential,
and acts upon
the world in
order to modify
it”.(10)
We would also
add that: it has
potential for
changing the
world from the
individual. “Its
strength lies in
its philosophy,
in its appeal to
reasoning,
common sense.”(11)
Therefore, the
philosophical
aspect mirrors
the principles
and teachings of
Superior Spirits
gathered and
organized by
Allan Kardec,
added to his
contribution in
the reflection
and unfolding
proposed by the
immortal lessons
in the
fundamental
works of the
Doctrine.
Spiritualism
triggers, from
appreciating its
principles,
morals that lead
to the ethics of
Love taught by
Jesus. These
morals are not
trapped in the
theologies of
the Christianity
of men, but
alive in the
spirituality of
the Christianity
of Christ
himself,
contained in the
Spiritualistic
Philosophy.
Spiritualistic
Morals
The word
morals
refers to the
customs of a
society or
culture, in a
strict sense. In
a more broad
meaning, as
pointed out in
the Basic
Dictionary of
Philosophy,
it can be seen
as ethics, as a
theory of values
that regulate
human conduct,
namely of
prescriptively.
It can be
distinguished by
the morals of
the Good and
duty, meaning,
what defines
Good for human
beings and what
they are
supposed to do.
In The Book
of Spirits,
we find a
conceptualization
of morals that
is in sync with
what we mention
above, of morals
as ethics and
points out the
meaning of Good
and how to seek
it. The Spirits
say: “Morals is
the act of
acting Good and
how to achieve
it, to tell Good
from Evil. It is
based on
observance of
God’s law. Man
does good when
he does all for
the common good,
for he then
fulfils God’s
law”.(12)
We see that
this definition
establishes
morals in the
practice of
Good, in the
ethics that
distinguish Good
from Evil, based
on the Divine
Laws, whose
parameters about
what one should
do lies in the
regard of what
is good by the
collectiveness.
It’s up to the
individual,
within his own
consciousness,
to make use of
intelligence to
tell good from
evil”.(12)
One available
recourse in
order to avoid
possible
mistakes in this
area of human
relations is the
application of
the law of
solidarity or
reciprocity.(14)
By the way, the
master stated at
some point: “The
morals of
superior Spirits
is summed up, as
Christ’s, in
this evangelical
motto: To do to
others as we
wish to be done
to ourselves”,
meaning, do Good
not Evil. Man
finds in this
principle the
universal rule
of conduct, even
for the smallest
of actions”.(15)
However, when
applying this
principle to
oneself, where
this precept
wouldn’t have
reach, the
parameter for
Good is the
limit of the
need that the
Natural Law
imposes. When
this limit is
crossed, the
perpetrator of
the action
suffers its
consequences, as
a result of lack
of contention.
The suffering
caused by the
lack of limits
is according to
the action,
being up to
everyone to
prevent it with
a moderate
conduct in
everything. The
old adage says:
nothing in
excess!
We find
propositions for
the application
of
spiritualistic
moral in the
analysis made by
Kardec of the
conduct of a
good person,
didactically
presenting the
ethics of
spiritualistic
teachings. It is
worth meditating
over this text
and realize the
possible paths
of a wise and
balanced conduct
that the master
sums up in this
phrase: “A true
good man is the
one who follows
the law of
justice, love
and charity in
its greatest
degree of
purity”.(16)
In order to
evaluate how
much these
ethics govern or
conduct, we
consider thet
the knowledge
about oneself is
a fundamental
knowledge, the
true “key to
individual
progress”.(17)
To practice the
ethics of the
good man, which
by the way is
the ethics of
Jesus, and to
see oneself
through personal
improvement are
actions that,
together,
undoubtedly form
an exceptional
script for those
who wish to
understand
Spiritualism in
depth and give
attention to the
main objective
of its
philosophical
proposal which
is to make a
better human
being.
Notes:
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