is thought of as a particularly advanced state of self-transcendence, in which the sense of a separate self is abandoned. "Self-transcendence" is believed to be psychometrically measurable, and (at least partially) inherited, and has been incorporated as a personality dimension in the Temperament and Character Inventory. The discovery of this is described in the book "The God Gene" by Dean Hamer, although this has been criticized by commentators such as Carl Zimmer. Comparison to Immanence The doctrine or theory of immanence holds that the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. It is held by some philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, pantheistic, pandeistic, or panentheistic faiths to suggest that the spiritual world permeates the mundane. It is often contrasted with theories of transcendence, in which the divine is seen to be outside the material world. It was argured that both of these concepts have been important in religious thought throughout history, but that they have often been seen as mutually exclusive. He suggests that this is a false dichotomy, and that a more nuanced understanding of these concepts can help us to better understand the divine. It was also argured that a better understanding of transcendence and immanence can help us to understand the relationship between God and the world. He suggests that immanence can help us to see God's presence in the world around us, while transcendence can help us to understand the ultimate nature of God. These two concepts can be seen as complementary, rather than contradictory, and that a more nuanced understanding of them can help us to better understand the divine. See also Transcendence (religion) Immanence God gene Ignoramus et ignorabimus Maslow's hierarchy of needs Materialism Meta Transcendental empiricism Transcendental hermeneutic phenomenology Transcendental humanism Transcendental materialism Transcendental Meditation Transcendental naturalism Transcendental nihilism Transcendental nominalism Transcendental perspectivism Transcendental realism Transcendental Thomism Transcendentalism Transcendentals Tzimtzum, the traditional kabbalistic understanding References External links Aldous Huxley on Self-Transcedence - The Epilog of The Devils of Loudun Stephen Palmquist, Kant's System of Perspectives (Lanham: University Press of America, 1993). See especially Part Two. A priori Aesthetics The arts Concepts in aesthetics Concepts in epistemology Concepts in metaphysics Concepts in the philosophy of mind Kantianism Nondualism Ontology Panentheism Pantheism Perennial philosophy Philosophical theories Philosophy of mind Philosophy of religion Religious philosophical concepts Spirituality Thought Transcendentalism Unitarian Universalism