Espiritismo e racionalidade: o intelectual espírita e o lugar da ciência no espiritismo brasileiro

Abstract

This paper discusses, from different authors, spiritualists and non-spiritualists, and in the face of socio-historical contexts, the role of intellectual spiritists in Brazil. The starting point is Weber’s theoretical articulation of empowerment rationalities of modernity to examine the relative insertion of spiritualism in Enlightenment standards and analyze the conformation of the religious movement in Brazil. Then, we seek to examine the contradictory position that the intellectual spiritist occupies in this context of conflicting rationalities. Empirically, we analyze the recent production of intellectual spiritists researchers gathered around the Researchers of Spiritist League (LIHPE), to conclude that (a) the dialogue between religion and science is constitutive of the spiri¬tism dogma; and (b) the scope of this dialogue is conflicting regarding the fundamentals of science, requiring from the intellectual spiritists mediator postures not always pacified, nor by spiritual doctrine, nor by scientific articulation.