Asceticism

We explain what asceticism is in religion and philosophy. Also, its history and representatives in the East and West.

asceticism
Many ascetic practices embrace abstinence, solitude, poverty and fasting.

What is asceticism?

Asceticism is any practice by which the individual deprives himself, deliberately, voluntarily and programmatically, of something he considers desirable. Ascetic practices are also those in which the individual puts himself or herself in a situation that he or she would normally avoid and that puts him in front of something that he does not consider desirable.

Asceticism is a lifestyle that pursues the purification of the spirit through the deprivation of material pleasures. Religious or philosophical traditions that embrace abstinence, solitude, seclusion, poverty and fasting, among other forms of material deprivation, are considered ascetic. In many cases, asceticism is a practice that leads to spiritual or mystical enlightenment.

asceticism It is part of very different cultural traditions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Stoicism and the Pythagorean sects. In general, all these traditions understand enlightenment as a process that moves away from worldly pleasures and earthly life. Those who practice it are known as ascetics or anchorites.

See also: Hedonism

Etymology and history of asceticism

The word “asceticism” has its origins in Greek. askesis (ἄσκησις) whose literal translation is “exercise” or “training.” In classical antiquity, they spoke of askesis to refer to the doctrine of athletic and military exercises that were intended to lead those who practiced them towards virtue.

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Asceticism as a philosophical practice dates back to the pre-Socratics, from whom the Stoics and Cynics inherited their customs. In this sense, the Roman Stoic schools functioned as a bridge between ancient and medieval patristic philosophy.

Ancient practices of renunciation and purification are an antecedent of Christian asceticism and monasticism. Different Christian orders sought greater closeness to God through renunciation. As such, vows of chastity and poverty, voluntary confinement in monasteries, and even the abandonment of urban life were common.

An example of Christian asceticism were the “desert fathers” or “desert fathers.” of the 6th century, who abandoned the Roman cities to enter alone into the deserts of Syria and Egypt. Similar cases appear in the Orthodox Church and in the later Catholic Church, in which punishment of the body or renunciation of pleasures was common.

One of the best-known ascetic schools was the Spanish school, which lasted from the Late Middle Ages to the 17th century, and which had multiple heirs and currents: the Jesuit, the Carmelite, the Franciscan, the Augustinian, the Dominican, etc. Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591) himself wrote: “You have to lose your taste for the appetite for things.”

Entering modernity and moving into the contemporary world, asceticism took on other forms and representatives. The best known is probably Friedrich Nietzsche, who, in his contempt for the philosophical-cultural practices of the time, advocated a renunciation of what was established by regulations. This is reflected in one of his most famous works, Thus spoke Zarathustra.

Moderation and ascetic practices

The Stoics wrote that it was necessary, in an ethical and vital way, to avoid excess, gluttony, sexual debauchery and the desire for wealth. These practices, however, can be considered not as a form of asceticism but as a form of moderation. Moderation was one of the ethical devices par excellence of Greco-Roman culture.

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Talking about moderation is not the same as talking about ascetic practices. Moderation consists of putting a limit on desire, appealing to the existence of a minimum natural desire necessary for a good life. Ascetic practices, for their part, exhort the individual to go below that limit, depriving him even of what is considered, in general terms, necessary for the preservation of life.

Continue with: Moral

References

  • Robledo, NG (2014). ECSTASY, ASCETISM AND DERAHMENT. DIGITAL HUMANITAS(40-41).
  • Braicovich, R.S. (2014). Moderation and asceticism in Seneca, Musonius and Epictetus. Philosophical Praxis, (39), 157-169.
  • Acevedo, LDVP, & LAURA, D. (2012). Heracles as a model of the wise ascetic in cynicism and Hellenistic philosophy. Praesentia, 13(1/14).
  • “Asceticism” on Wikipedia.
  • “Ascetic, ca” in the Dictionary of the language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
  • “Philosophy for the layman, asceticism” (video) on Para Todos la 2 on RTVE (Spain).