Meaning of Transcendence (What it is, Concept and Definition)

Transcendence is about what is beyond the material world, refers to the phenomena of nature metaphysics. It originates from the Latin word "transcender", which means to surpass.

It is an important concept for philosophy and is at the genesis of reflections on the meaning of the existence of the world and of lifehuman, from the philosophers of Ancient Greece.

Transcendence is also a topic of great value and discussion for theology and religions. Achieving transcendence is being in contact with the spiritual world, with the deities - it is the overcoming of the physical limits of the human being.

Learn more about Ancient Greece.

The search for transcendence

Understanding the meaning of life has always been one of the most important pursuits of human beings. Transcendence has to do with life and death and with the possibility of the existence of something that goes beyond earthly life.

The human being, in the search for his immortality, seeks explanations for life that go beyond the material reality in which he lives and that he can understand with his senses.

We know that the material world exists because we live in it and experience it with our senses. On the other hand, what belongs to the spiritual and immaterial world cannot be proven scientifically and empirically.

Transcendence would then be a way to connect with the divine, the projection of the human being to a spiritual dimension, where answers to deep questions can be found. human beings.

Religiosity and faith can be one of the ways in which human beings can reach or understand what is of a transcendental nature. In this sense, some religions, according to their doctrine, describe paths for contact with the spiritual world.

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Transcendent X Immanent

Transcendent and immanent are antagonistic concepts that were initially discussed by Plato, philosopher who lived between the years 400 and 300 a. C, in Ancient Greece.

The antagonism of these concepts refers to the material and immaterial reality. Transcendent would be that which is beyond the material state, which belongs to the spiritual world and whose end would be external to itself.

Immanent, in turn, is what represents a material reality. This is the reality that we know and that we can experience and explain using our senses.

Immanence and transcendence are also related to the conception of God for religions. Some doctrines, like the pantheistic religions, believe that God is immanent, that He is part of everything and therefore cannot be dissociated from the material world.

Other religions, especially those of Judeo-Christian and Islamic tradition, believe that God is transcendent. He is the creator of everything, including matter, so he is separated from it.

See also the meaning of religiosity and religion.

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