(Re)-discovering the sacred in the material universe: An exploration of cosmic spirituality in the works of Malcolm de Chazal and Michel Serres

Abstract

The purpose of this comparative study is to probe the common threads that exist between the relatively unknown Mauritian author Malcolm de Chazal and the underutilised philosopher of science Michel Serres. In Sens-Plastique and throughout Serres’s diverse oeuvre, both authors clearly valorise life and all it has to offer despite the apparent absurdity of the human condition. Although Chazal and Serres’s passion for scientific inquiry leads them to the conclusion that existence has no predetermined meaning en-soi, both writers unwaveringly assert that life can be extremely meaningful and worthwhile. However, in order to access terrestrial, ontological remedies that are capable of effacing existential anguish, the modern subject must (re)-establish a primordial connection to elemental matter. According to Chazal and Serres, (re)-connecting to the biosphere that tossed us into the chaos of existence also (re)-awakens our dormant senses. Serres and Chazal maintain that our senses are vital organs that open up a spiritual pathway which allows us to catch a small glimpse of the divine universe and our minute place in it.