Religious Research

Religious Research

Feasibility of Mystical Role-Modeling in the Modern Sphere; (An Analysis of its Connections to the Foundations of Charles Taylor's Project of the Ethics of Authenticity) Examining the Feasibility of Mystical Role-Modeling in the Present Modern Modernity Age

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mohammad Reza Rajabi 1
Misagh Mehrabi 2
1 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy of Religion, Religions, and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology, Farabi Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 MA Student, Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology, Farabi Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jrr.2025.508167.2264
Abstract
A prominent characteristic of humans in the present era — often simultaneously termed the age of modernity and post-modernity — is their pursuit of experiential knowledge. They must first experience something through their senses before converting it into belief. On the other hand, attaining mystical experience and knowledge is not achievable at the beginning of a mystic's spiritual path; rather, it is a posterior matter, requiring the passage of time and trust in the instructions of the path's master. The main question of this research is whether contemporary humans, with such characteristics, can enter the realm of mysticism? And if so, how can the qualification of such a master be proven to them? Our key finding in this study is that contemporary humans can indeed enter the realm of mysticism, and the qualification of the master and his teachings are not necessarily posterior matters; rather, through minor prior experiences, his qualification can be ascertained, thus completing the proof for the disciple to follow him. The research method of this study is case-based, whereby the behavior a disciple must adopt on their path is observed in light of the characteristics of a contemporary human, and a solution for their entry into the mystical path has been found, concluding that such an endeavor is feasible. In this research, Taylor's project of the Ethics of Authenticity is utilized as a postmodern methodological framework, and role-modeling is proposed as an intermediary, experience-based solution between traditional and postmodern perspectives. Mystics consider the perception of mystical knowledge dependent upon traversing the spiritual path and highly emphasize the importance of having a guide or master (Pīr) for this purpose; they believe that the discovery and perception of such knowledge is entirely concomitant with the presence of such a guide. From their perspective, the disciple (Morīd) must submit and devote themselves to such a master to complete their upbringing. Conversely, contemporary, so-called modern humans are experiential; they do not believe in something until they have experienced it. Since acquiring transcendent knowledge through following a master requires the passage of time, and the disciple cannot experience the knowledge they will ultimately acquire from the outset, this lack of prior experiential understanding is unacceptable to modern humans. This may lead them to refuse role-modeling and accepting the practices suggested by the spiritual master. For modern humans, emulating a model in any way possible is not acceptable. If they are to tread the spiritual path, the master's qualification must be proven to them in some way. In this study, humans living in the world of modernity and post-modernity encounter one of the prerequisites for entering the realm of mysticism —f ollowing a guide (Pīr) — and reasons for this following have been found within both modern and postmodern domains. This can open a window for contemporary humans to enter the realm of mysticism and its transcendent knowledge. The method of this research is analytical and epistemological. The data collection method was library research, using note-taking as the tool.

The research method of this research was a case study, In this research, Taylor's originality ethics project was used as a postmodern method, and through it, role modeling was proposed as an intermediate and experimental solution between traditional and postmodern perspectives.
Keywords
modern human
mystical master and disciple
Charles Taylor
mystical role-modeling
spirituality
modern mystic
spiritual path
ethics of authenticity
Subjects
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Religious Research
Volume 13, Issue 25 - Serial Number 25
November 2025
Pages 183-214