Interweaving Ideals with Realities: The Pragmatism of the New Age Movement and the Background of Its Development in the United States.
| Autor: | Yu-hsun Li, 李聿勛 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 91 As a movement across religion, spirituality, health, psychology, ecology, politic, economy, education, the New Age Movement sprang up in the United States in 1960s. After two decades, the movement began attracting the general public and the mass media, and had its influence on American society, especially on American religious environment. Some scholars point out that merely about 5-10 percent of the Americans are the New Age adherents. Compare to the traditional religious population, the percentage may be too low. However, these 14 – 28 million Americans, are the best educated and the most wealthy people among the Baby Boomers. Further, some observers indicated that these New Agers can even” predominate over future trends of America”. What brought these people to have this possible influence? Hence I assume that there is attraction, while repulsion exists, both work together and make these people go their successful way in real life. What is the attraction and the repulsion? So I begin with the core beliefs of the New Age Movement, trying to finger out the answer, and this would be the first purpose of this thesis. The core beliefs of the New Age Movement focus on self-awareness and social transformation, trying to build a new social order through a higher and more expansive ways of thinking of the world. The center idea is to make life ‘better’, which means one can lead both creating a wealthy life and developing continuous spiritual growth. This is the pragmatism of the New Age. In other worlds, we may see the seeking for a spiritual and wealthy life as the movement’s essence: pragmatism. Why do these spiritual New Agers, who crave for a new paradigm, not be taken as heresies by the American people of various religious tradition? Thus, the author suppose the belief that every individual owns the right for the pursuit of liberty and happiness, and the long-standing religious toleration, accompanying by religious pluralism, give birth to the New Age Movement. This is perhaps the essential background of the New Age’s development. To introduce this background would be the second purpose of this thesis. The Declaration of Independence stated that every one has the equal right for pursuing one’s own happiness and dream. According to this principle, the Americans thus carried out their dreams both in material and spiritual dimension. While they fail to meet their dreams with realities, such as during the counterculture years, the Americans would modify the values and beliefs to suit American society. The dream of the New Agers is trying to carry out their traditional principles and fulfill the modified values in present life. The dream resulted from the culture pluralism and individualism in American tradition. Since the pragmatism of NAM is an outcome of interworking of dream and actuality, would it be the model of future way of life with full support of American people? I try to answer this question through the various responds by some circles in American society. Will our world be changed as the New Agers expect? They look forward to the coming of the new order, and believe that the coming is ‘someday’. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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