Zufism - Toward the Origin and Source of Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality
with Alexander Bard
Begins Wednesday, April 2
Zufism – Toward the Origin and Source of Philosophy, Religion, and Spirituality is a course that lays the groundwork for Alexander Bard’s forthcoming book on Zufism. It combines Bard’s philosophical insights with key spiritual traditions such as Zoroastrianism, Zen, and Eastern traditions like Taoism and Vajrayana along the Silk Road. Drawing from his intellectual influences, including Hegel, Nietzsche, and Deleuze, Bard’s philosophy delves into the evolving relationship between philosophy, religion, and technology.
The course explores the dialectics between philosophy and religion, focusing on how these forces shape, challenge, and complement each other. It also investigates the tension between esoteric and exoteric practices in various spiritual traditions. Students will examine the role of minimalist and baroque aesthetics in expressing spiritual truths, from Zen’s focus on simplicity to Tantra’s elaborate and ritualistic expressions. Bard’s emphasis on decentralization and the role of technology in the human experience provides a framework for understanding the relevance of religion and mysticism in the digital age.
Uniquely, this course offers students the opportunity to actively co-create the Zufism project alongside Alexander Bard. Brilliant insights from students will be credited in the forthcoming book.
We will also schedule lively digital campfire sessions—informal discussions outside of class where students can explore the material more freely, get to know each other, share projects and ideas, and build a sense of community.
Our Schedule
3 Two-hour Zoom Classes/ 3 Digital Campfires
Begins Wednesday, April 2nd 2025
Times: Wednesday’s 11am PST (Los Angeles), 2pm EST (New York), 8pm CET (Paris)
Class 1: April 2
Class 2: April 9
Class 3: April 16
Campfires: Saturdays following the course (see below)
Price: €260/200€/100€ Tiers
COURSE CONTENT
Class I: The dialectics of philosophy and religion (theory)
Lecture and Q&A: Wednesday, April 2, 11 am PST (Los Angeles), 2 pm EST (New York), 8 pm CET (Paris)
Digital Campfire: Saturday, April 5, 11 am PST (Los Angeles), 2 pm EST (New York), 8 pm CET (Paris)
This theme explores the tension and interplay between philosophical reasoning and religious belief, examining how they have historically challenged and shaped each other. We will trace their convergence and divergence from ancient metaphysics to modern digital spirituality.
Class II: - The dialectics of the esoteric and the exoteric (practice)
Lecture and Q&A: Wednesday, April 9, 11 am PST (Los Angeles), 2 pm EST (New York), 8 pm CET (Paris)
Digital Campfire: Saturday, April 12, 11 am PST (Los Angeles), 2 pm EST (New York), 8 pm CET (Paris)
Spiritual traditions often balance hidden, mystical teachings with public rituals and doctrines. This section investigates how secrecy, initiation, and revelation function across traditions, from Persian mysticism to contemporary network spirituality.
Class III – The dialectics of the minimalist and the baroque (aesthetics)
Lecture and Q&A: Wednesday, April 16, 11 am PST (Los Angeles), 2 pm EST (New York), 8 pm CET (Paris)
Digital Campfire: Saturday, April 19, 11 am PST (Los Angeles), 2 pm EST (New York), 8 pm CET (Paris)
Religious and philosophical movements express themselves through radically different artistic and architectural styles. We will examine how minimalism and excess embody competing spiritual ideals, from Zen simplicity to Tantric baroque.
About your instructor
Alexander Bard is a Swedish philosopher, author, music producer, and former rock star known for his deep explorations of technology, society, and human consciousness. Originally gaining fame as a musician in bands such as Army of Lovers, Vacuum, and BWO, Bard transitioned into philosophy, where he developed an influential framework for understanding digitalization and network society
Bard’s philosophy, developed with Jan Söderqvist, is rooted in thinkers like Hegel, Nietzsche, Deleuze, and Whitehead while also drawing on Persian mysticism and Zoroastrian thought. He is a vocal proponent of process philosophy, arguing that history is an unfolding process rather than a static structure. His latest book, Process and Event (2024), completes the Narratology Trilogy and proposes that history leads to the creation of a "Messiah machine," an emergent divine entity shaped by technological revolutions.
Bard’s philosophy, (including The Futurica Trilogy and Digital Libido, explore how digitalization disrupts traditional hierarchies, reshaping power, identity, and desire. Bard sees technology as the driving force of historical change, with human nature as a constant. He critiques outdated institutional structures and envisions a future governed by decentralized network dynamics.
A practicing Zoroastrian Bard’s spirituality aligns with his broader intellectual vision, emphasizing coherent pluralism, decentralization, and the rejection of authoritarianism in favor of emergent, self-organizing systems.
Alexander Bard’s Key Works.
"Netocracy: The New Power Elite and Life After Capitalism" (2000)
Co-authored with Jan Söderqvist, this book introduces the concept of the "netocracy," a new elite class emerging from the digital revolution, controlling networks and information rather than traditional forms of power."The Global Empire" (2002)
This book, also co-authored with Jan Söderqvist, explores the impact of technology on global power structures and society, continuing the ideas presented in Netocracy."The Body Machines" (2009)
The third book in The Futurica Trilogy, it delves into how digital technologies and networks shape human consciousness and the evolving nature of identity, focusing on the body’s role in the technological age."Syntheism: Creating God in the Internet Age" (2014)
Co-authored with Jan Söderqvist, Syntheism is a philosophical manifesto advocating for the creation of a new form of spirituality in the digital age, blending religion, technology, and collective human action to create a digital form of divinity."Digital Libido: Sex, Power and Violence in the Network Society" (2018)
In this work, Bard and Söderqvist examine how digital networks and technology affect human sexuality, power structures, and societal violence, drawing on philosophical frameworks from thinkers like Nietzsche and Deleuze."Process and Event" (2023)
Bard’s most recent work, co-authored with Jan Söderqvist, which explores the relationship between history, philosophy, and the divine, integrating artificial intelligence and digital networks into the evolution of human spirituality.