The Heretics Who Got Too Close to God – What is Mysticism?
Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).
For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.
To donate to my PayPal (thank you): http://www.paypal.me/cosmicskeptic
– VIDEO NOTES
Simon Critchley is a British philosopher, author and professor at The New School in New York. He is best known for his work on existentialism, mysticism, ethics and continental philosophy, and is the author of books including The Book of Dead Philosophers, Faith of the Faithless and Mysticism.
– LINKS
Get Simon’s book, “Mysticism”: https://amzn.to/4uzstPa
– TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Is Mysticism Always Religious?
7:52 – What is Mysticism?
18:58 – Unification With the Divine
29:58 – Mysticism and the Self
40:38 – Why Are So Many Mystics Women?
48:41 – The Limits of Language
59:54 – Was Pascal a Mystic?
01:03:21 – Where Does Simon Stand on Mysticism?
01:11:22 – Where Should We Start With Learning About Mysticism?
01:15:36 – Imagery in Simon’s Book
– CONNECT
My Website: https://www.alexoconnor.com
SOCIAL LINKS:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskeptic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskeptic
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskeptic
TikTok: @CosmicSkeptic
The Within Reason Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/within-reason/id1458675168
– CONTACT
Business email: contact@alexoconnor.com
Brand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co
——————————————
@Girlwithanopinion4
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Bring britt Harley to the show Alex, have her talk about her book no nonsense spirituality
@ilyateev_ilyass
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
INVITE ORTHODOX MUSLIM OR MUSLIM LANTERN TO YOUR CHANNEL ALEX AND DIOSCOVER MIRACALES OF ISLAM
@GregZawatski
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
I’ll break it down for you Alex. Physically masculine/divinely feminine. Physically feminine/divinely masculine. Until we stop believing in the mirror and worshipping it as god we will never be in union with the real ONE.
@sugasheeze
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
"spiritual fuel will not give you your essential vitamins and minerals" psssshhhh tell that to the knights radiant.
@master_of_none16
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
the thumbnail uhm
@varunsharma3532
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
31:01 jab main thaa tab hari nahi
Jab hari hai mai naahi
@sethyryan
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Alex, on mystical philosophers, you should look into the medieval sufi Ibn Arabi. He expounds upon the psychology of “I am God” which many have historically realized. “The Sufi Path of Knowledge:
Ibn al-ʿArabi's Metaphysics of Imagination” By William Chittick is the best in my opinion.
@arbsan8366
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Really interesting and I leaned a lot of new things!
@anitat9447
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
“do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” 1 Timothy 4:1
Biblical discernment is what’s missing a lot of times from these types of groups. There needs to be a balance and discernment in a Christians life.
@shamonyacob
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Religion is what you get when materialists think they've mastered the mystical. Plato vs Aristotle(Turtles) all the way down.
@MythVisionPodcast
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Seriously, you really need to chat with Brittney Hartley my friend.
@phantasmagoria_ov_spirit
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Try to interview Camille Paglia.
@boweassange2023
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Christians … what do you make of the simplistic (lazy) cookie-cutter construction of our universe, composed of fractals and crude homologies? Lacking in the subtlety and panache of a master artist? Does it inspire unbelief in you, like it did to Charles Darwin? Or does it make you wonder if salvation/morality are the true point of our world?
@mariannecasavant
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
The self hatred comment made me almost fall off my chair 😂
@jamiedunston
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Timely and thank you for having this conversation! I look forward to listening.
@marko112kg
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
41:45 it IS a most queer tradition
@mariannecasavant
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
The ecstasy is incorrect imo. Did he know who we talking to when he was speaking to you Alex is the real question
@matchoobocka
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Excellent. That my friends, is a humble man.
@kvnboudreaux
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
There are entire mystical traditions within both east and western Christianity that are in no way heretical. I don’t think it’s fair to characterize mystical as typically being at odds with mainstream religious traditions.
@mjlambert210
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
comment algy thingy
sadadasda
@TheRealIntellivision
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Mystical experience is just a phenomenology of mind that anyone can tap into if they put effort into looking into "their soul," "their heart," "their mind" (ancients didn't distinguish between these).
It requires no specific religious or theological interpretation.
@KeepingHopeAlive
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Look at it like this… God IS existence. ALL reality takes place within existence. We have our being in reality. Man is NOT God. Man is the son of God. Christ IS God manifest in the flesh. We are made in His image.
@gravitheist5431
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Nah it's not strictly religious in the deity worship sense but it is the same mucky thinking involved in supernaturalism , the clue is in the name , the adoption of an ungrounded assumption by fiat.
Fiat Priors are Thermodynamically Catastrophic.
@guyincognito3199
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
That extremely rare circumstance where you leave for your morning walk with a downloaded video playing in your ears, sight unseen, and only at the end, when it comes to the liking, that you find you're wearing the exact same shirt as the guest. 🎉 Fine taste in shirt, sir, and thanks for the enlightening chat
@ksan1648
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Alex is on fire!
@OripesCarlos
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
GRAÇAS A DEUS que "esse mundo" das igrejas bíblicas está quase acabando.
Logo logo ficaremos livres dessa parafernália.
@TylerBrotsky
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
Mysticism is the freedom to change and evolve the canon of a religion into what that religion needs at the moment. Institutionalized religion is the moment in which a group of people try to fix the canon text and interpretation into a mold, and for that they need to persecute the mystics, which in one moment couldve been simply the norm to be a mystic a to move the canon into your own needs in your own familiar group
@mjlambert210
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
34:20
This point is apt.
Think about conservative commentators in America (sorry).
They are entirely self-serving, while at the same time pushing away any sense of themselves, and becoming the 'Brand' of the right wing propoganda machine.
The concept being mirrored in the political sphere (which is in itself a cultish religion) was interesting, to me at least.
@synkd440
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
How do they not talk about Chesterton in this? One of the best Christian mythic.
@Steven-ze2zk
May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am
eminem's face on that statue in the thumbnail?
Comments are closed.