perworldly

Perworldly is a contemporary neologism used to describe a stance or mode of inquiry that situates worldly life within a broader frame that encompasses spiritual, metaphysical, or transcendent dimensions. It is not a fixed doctrine, but a term used to discuss approaches that do not reject the world but seek to understand it through a wider lens, integrating practical concerns with larger questions about meaning.

Etymology: The word combines the prefix per- (through, thoroughly) with worldly, yielding “throughworldly” or “through the world.” It is an informal coinage and has no single authoritative definition in established dictionaries.

Origins and usage: The term appears mainly in online discussions, blogs, and self-published essays from the early 21st century onward. It is not widely cited in peer‑reviewed philosophy or theology, and its meaning varies by author.

Common senses: Some writers describe perworldly thinking as a through‑worldly approach that integrates empirical life with ethical or spiritual considerations; others treat it as a literary or aesthetic mode that foregrounds the interaction between mundane experience and transcendence; a third sense frames it as a normative stance that seeks responsibility toward both worldly effectiveness and higher goods.

In practice, perworldly narratives or discussions often explore how ordinary actions—work, family, politics—are illuminated by contemplative or metaphysical perspectives. See also related terms such as worldly, otherworldly, and interworld.