Spiritual reductionism refers to the tendency to reduce spirituality to some specific parameters that are deemed vital and to gauge everyone’s value based on those parameters alone. For example, we may reduce a person’s spiritual stature to their level of detachment. Such reductionism doesn’t consider that detachment may arise from reasons other than the spiritual too.

A person may be relatively detached because they had a pious past, in this and previous lives. Though their detachment can make spiritual growth easy for them, it doesn’t automatically make them spiritually interested. Thus, a person may be a strict teetotaler and yet dismiss life’s spiritual dimension as irrelevant or even imaginary. What if a person follows the rules of a spiritual path? Still, they may not be attracted to the ultimate reality, Krishna. They may follow those rules primarily because such strict adherence provides them prestige among social circles that practice spiritual reductionism. Despite having detachment, they lack humility.

In contrast, a person may be stuck with sensual attachments because of a dark past. Though they may not manifest much detachment, they may have great spiritual interest and may earnestly, fervently, repeatedly seek Krishna’s mercy. Despite lacking detachment, they have humility.

These two examples underscore the need to see people holistically, as embodying a complex blend of virtues and vices. Otherwise, we may succumb to the reductionism that is typical of knowledge in the mode of ignorance (Bhagavad-gita 18.22).

How can we learn to see people holistically? By ethical reflection, wherein we consider people’s overall behavior and nature without fixating on particular virtues. Such reflection helps us become less judgmental and more benevolent toward everyone, as are our Lord (05.29) and his saintly devotees (12.13).

One-sentence summary:

Ethical reflection helps us see people holistically and avoid reducing their worth to particular virtues alone. 

Think it over:

  • What is spiritual reductionism? What’s wrong with it?
  • How can ethical reflection counter spiritual reductionism? 
  • Have you ever succumbed to spiritual reductionism? How can you counter it?

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18.22: And that knowledge by which one is attached to one kind of work as the all in all, without knowledge of the truth, and which is very meager, is said to be in the mode of darkness.

To know more about this verse, please click on the image