nonspiritual

Nonspiritual is an adjective describing the absence, rejection, or irrelevance of spiritual beliefs, experiences, or practices in a person, group, or context. It denotes a stance or approach that treats spirituality as not central to understanding reality, ethical life, or cultural expression. The term is formed from non- and spiritual and is used in philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies to characterize orientations that do not foreground transcendence, mysticism, or religious authority.

It is typically contrasted with religious or spiritual worldviews. It does not inherently imply atheism, agnosticism, or materialism, but it often aligns with secular or naturalistic frames in which explanations rely on empirical observation, human-centered ethics, and non-supernatural values. In practice, nonspiritual can describe works of art, education, or public discourse that emphasize secular reasoning, practical concerns, or experiential rather than metaphysical interpretations.

Some scholars note that the category is fluid and culturally dependent; what counts as nonspiritual in one tradition might be described as spiritual in another. Critics argue that reducing a complex stance to a single label can obscure nuanced beliefs about meaning, community, and purpose.

See also: secularism, secularism, atheism, agnosticism, naturalism, secular humanism, spirituality.