"The mind must not simply try to explain the world scientifically. The more we make scientific sense of the universe, the more pointless the universe seems. The mind must, therefore, go beyond logic in order to attain a general feeling of understanding," Ingrid E. Josephs and Jaan Valsiner emphasize in their contribution to the textbook "Spiritual and religious development".
"Human reasoning is overdetermined by different relations between core meanings and circumvention strategies such that we appear to contradict ourselves. But in actuality, by using such strategies, a particular meaning (belief) can be maintained and strengthened, then instantly overcome or replaced, then reinstated in its original form - all without true inconsistency. In some instances, then, miracles can be interpretated as being unreal and real - without there being a contradiction.
It is, then, the contrast between core meanings and circumvention strategies that guarantees the creative inconsistency of the mind. This creative inconsistency is adaptive as long as the internal voices are coherent, focused on the same topic, and able to reach closure in the discussion. But if that is not the case, the individual may become dysfunctional ..."
Psychological Studies on Spiritual and Religious Development – Being Human: The Case of Religion, Vol. 2
Reich, K.H.; Oser, F.K.; Scarlett, W.G. (Eds.)
