Common assumptions about mystics have persisted for over a century: they are isolated figures, found mainly in history books or on lonely mountaintops, disconnected from the concerns of daily life. But a growing body of research tells a very different story. Mystics are very much part of society today, and the evidence suggests their roles are overwhelmingly beneficial — to themselves, to the people around them, and to wider communities. The Tampere University team in Finland is implementing a major research project on mysticism and human flourishing as a core component of PRISM, running from 2025 to 2029.
Roots and Fruits
The main research question is direct: Do mystics and mysticism contribute to society and human flourishing — or destruction — and, if so, how? The project examines both the “roots” (how mystics understand their own experiences) and the “fruits” (how they act on those experiences) across Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. Mystics’ lives and experiences, the team argues, can show us new ways to connect personal experience and growth with social benefits. The theoretical framework draws on the Platonic and Aristotelean concept of eudaimonia, which connects personhood to social structure, action, and culture — and relates humans to a wider ecosystem of life that can flourish. At the same time, the project stays attuned to the potentially destructive side of mysticism when interpreted through fundamentalist ideologies.
Three Dimensions of Impact
The team examines mystics’ contributions across three dimensions: social justice, environmental action, and aesthetic-civilizational contributions. Their key hypothesis is that “mystical consciousness” — a form of ineffable, experiential, unitive awareness — is the basis of the link between a person and a society. Grounded in the metatheoretical framework of Critical Realism, the research draws on historical and contemporary cases of mystics across four major religious traditions. Findings will be reported in journal articles, a short-format book, an empirical monograph, a theoretical volume on mystical consciousness, and a concluding project exhibition and conference. Given the tremendous and complex crises facing humanity today, this work on mystics’ contributions to flourishing may turn out to be a very important piece in the puzzle.