scholarly journals Religious Disagreement, Mystical Experience, and Doxastic Minimalism: Critical Notice of John Pittard’s Disagreement, Deference, and Religious Commitment

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 673
Author(s):  
Kirk Lougheed
Keyword(s):  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Religious Commitment ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
Epistemic Goals ◽  
Mystical Experiences ◽  
Religious Disagreement ◽  
Critical Notice

In his recent book, Disagreement, Deference, and Religious Commitment, John Pittard challenges J.L. Schellenberg’s rejection of mystical experience as worthy of enjoying presumptive doxastic trust for two main reasons. First, Pittard holds that Schellenberg wrongly focuses only on avoiding error while placing no emphasis on gaining truth. I argue that, contra Pittard, Schellenberg’s account nicely balances the competing epistemic goals of gaining truth and avoiding error. Second, Pittard thinks that Schellenberg’s criteria for presumptive trust in that of universality and unavoidability are arbitrary. I counter that Schellenberg’s criteria are not arbitrary since they are the best way of achieving these goals. I conclude that despite not enjoying presumptive doxastic trust, this in itself does not entail that mystical experiences are never trustworthy.

Beyond Perennialism and Constructivism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayon Maharaj
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Common Core ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
Analytic Philosophy ◽  
Cultural Conditioning ◽  
Mystical Experiences

This chapter draws upon Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings and mystical testimony in order to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding the nature of mystical experience. In recent analytic philosophy of religion, two approaches to mystical experience have been especially influential: perennialism and constructivism. While perennialists maintain that there is a common core of all mystical experiences across various cultures, constructivists claim that a mystic’s cultural conditioning plays a major role in shaping his or her mystical experiences. After identifying the strengths and limitations of these two positions, Maharaj argues that Sri Ramakrishna champions a “manifestationist” approach to mystical experience that provides a powerful dialectical alternative to both perennialism and constructivism. According to Sri Ramakrishna, mystics in various traditions experience different real manifestations of one and the same impersonal-personal Infinite Reality. Sri Ramakrishna’s manifestationist paradigm shares the advantages of both perennialism and constructivism but avoids their respective weaknesses and limitations.

scholarly journals TAMSIL METAFISIK DAN PENGALAMAN MISTIK DALAM SAJAK-SAJAK CINTA GANDRUNG KARYA A. MUSTOFA BISRI

Diksi ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Wachid B.S
Keyword(s):  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Verbal Expression ◽  
Language Play ◽  
Mystical Experiences

Mustofa Bisri's poetry belongs to the category of poetry that stars frommeaning itself but it is also composed from esthetic mystical experiences, It doesnot rely on the beauty of verbal expression and on language play only. Its estheticquality also lies on the images of esthetic mystical experiences reflected in hispoems. Even if translated into another language, the poems would not lose theesthetic quality.In accordance with the theory of poetry, the language used in the poemspossesses what is often called deceptive simplicity. And in his poems it is assumedto be the result of the basic nature of poetry, that is, indirect expression by way ofdisplacement of meaning, distortion of meaning, and creation of meaning.Keywords: poetry, mystical experience, esthetic quality.

Wainwright on Mysticism

1984 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-304
Author(s):  
Delmas Lewis ◽  
Paul Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
William James ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
Cognitive Value

Professor Wainwright's recent book is the first attempt at a systematic and rigorous assessment of mystical experience since the publication of W. T. Stace's influential Mysticism and Philosophy more than twenty years ago. It is also the first work in English during the period of the critical study of mystical experience inaugurated by Richard M. Bucke and William James at the beginning of this century to adequately formulate and extensively discuss the philosophical problems involved in assessing the cognitive value of mystical experience. Wainwright's conclusions are not unproblematic, but the publication of his work does provide an ideal opportunity for a review of the central problems associated with the assessment of mystical experience. In this paper, therefore, we wish to delineate and discuss the two major areas of difficulty, and to extend and amend some of Wainwright's suggestions in these areas.

BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS IN VEDANTIC MYSTICISM: THE EXAMPLE OF RAMAKRISHNA

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-231
Author(s):  
David T. Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Process Analysis ◽  
Minimally Conscious State ◽  
Biological Rhythms ◽  
Conscious State ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Biological Rhythm ◽  
Mystical Experiences ◽  
Minimally Conscious

This study is a process analysis of probably the longest reported mystical experience: the six-month nirvikalpa samadhi of the Indian saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886). Throughout this period he participated in Brahman, which is understood in the Vedantic tradition of India as the blissful, intrinsically conscious substance of being. Ramakrishna cycled between the states aligned with Brahman’s saguna (manifest) and nirguna (unmanifest) aspects. He was insensate and cataleptic during the nirguna phase of mystical cycles. Liminal consciousness, ecstatic emotion, and visions of God characterized the saguna phase. The respective states are likened to the onset and the resolution of the Minimally Conscious State, the least severe form of coma. The temporal pattern of individual cycles is attributed to the Basic RestActivity Cycle, a fundamental biological rhythm. Yoga practices that may have contributed to the onset and continuation of samadhi are reviewed. Ramakrishna’s nirvikalpa samadhi incorporated two basic forms of mystical experience: union with the personal God, and transient probing of the undifferentiated ground of being. Other mystical experiences may have a cyclical structure and conform with a biological rhythm.

Scientific Explanations of Mystical Experiences, Part I: The Case of St Teresa

1996 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Fales
Keyword(s):  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Biographical Data ◽  
Scientific Explanations ◽  
Mystical Experiences ◽  
Supernatural Agency ◽  
Work Done

Several writers have argued for the implausibility of there being naturalistic explanations of mystical experience. These writers recognize that the evidential significance of mystical experiences for theism depends upon whether explanations that exclude supernatural agency can be discounted; but they seem unaware of some of the best scientific work done in this area. Part I of the present paper introduces the theory of I. M. Lewis, an anthropologist, and tests it against the case of St Teresa. I use Teresa because of her prominence, and because we have considerable biographical data for her. I conclude that Lewis's approach, suitably supplemented, is strikingly successful in explaining this case.

Mysticism and Sense Perception

1973 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Wainwright
Keyword(s):  
Religious Experience ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Sense Perception ◽  
Ordinary Objects ◽  
Important Phenomenon ◽  
The World ◽  
Mystical Experiences ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Numinous Experiences

In this paper I propose to examine the cognitive status of mystical experience.There are, I think, (at least) three distinct but overlapping sorts of religious experience. (1) In the first place, there are two kinds of mystical experience. The extrovertive or nature mystic (in some sense) identifies himself with a world which is both transfigured and one. The introvertive mystic withdraws from the world and, after stripping the mind of concepts and images, experiences union with something which (in some respects at least) can be described as an undifferentiated unity. Introvertive mysticism is a more important phenomenon than extrovertive mysticism. (2) Numinous experiences are complex experiences involving dread, awe, wonder, and fascination. One (apparently) finds oneself confronted with something which is radically unlike ordinary objects. Before its overwhelming majesty and power, one is nothing but dust and ashes. In contrasting oneself with its uncanny beauty and goodness, one experiences one's own uncleanness and ugliness. (3) The experiences bound up with the devotional life of the ordinary believer (gratitude, love, trust, filial fear, etc.) are also religious in character. Nevertheless these more ordinary experiences should, I think, be distinguished both from numinous experiences and from mystical experiences, for they do not appear to involve the sense of immediate presence which characterises the latter.

scholarly journals Neural factors that define religiosity: neurophysiological distinction between the individual with religious and non-religious beliefs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cibele Lima Pontes ◽  
Vinícius Romeu Beserra Diógenes ◽  
Natália Carolina Medeiros do Nascimento Rodrigues ◽  
Ellen de Fátima Lima Vasconcelos ◽  
Maria Carolina Othon de Queiroz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Neural Factors ◽  
Mystical Experiences

Introduction: Religiosity and mystical experiences accompany society throughout history, integrating its identity formation. Neuroscience unveils neural correlations, maps the areas involved and activity patterns, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is applied to detect variations in activation of neural activity. Objectives: Thus, the objective is to understand the neurophysiological differences between individuals who experience religiosity and the mystical experiences of those without, through the fMRI. Methods: This literature review, collected data in April/2021 on Medline, Pubmed and Science Direct. The descriptors used, after consulting the MeSH, consisted of “neural correlates of religious”, “mystical experience” and “functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)”. Were found 227 articles, after applying the exclusion criteria and fully reading of the abstract, the sample included 6 articles in English, from the last 10 years, available in full text, 2 Medline, 3 Pubmed and 1 Science Direct. Results: The consensus was reached that religiosity can be grounded by neural factors, by applying fMRI to identify patterns of activation of brain regions during mystical experience, although one of the articles refutes these relationships. Correlations are cited by regions: frontal and temporal - emphasis on the dorsolateral and medial/superior prefrontal cortex and bilateral lower parietal lobes, as promoters or impeders of the religious profile in individuals, due to the negative regulation due to lack of excitement, injuries or structural changes. Conclusions: It is concluded that the neurophysiological findings were able to detect patterns that can serve as eligibility criteria between believing and non- believing individuals, which makes their subsequent application feasible for better clarification and neural distinction.

scholarly journals PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES IN HERMAN HESSE’S SIDDHARTHA

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Muhammad Imran ◽  
Abdul Ghaffar Bhatti ◽  
Rana Tahir Naveed
Keyword(s):  
Personal Development ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Spiritual Quest ◽  
Psychological Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Psychic Disorders ◽  
Positive Disintegration ◽  
Theory Of Positive Disintegration ◽  
Mystical Experiences

This paper is an attempt to study Siddhartha’s spiritual quest for self-knowledge in psychological perspective. It is meant to explore how far and in what ways is the mystical experience on par with secondary integration of personality that occurs only in the wake of the disintegration of several existing psychological structures. The protagonist’s act of overcoming ego-consciousness and disassociating himself with the social labels and ultimately realizing his ‘self’ are analyzed psychologically using Kazimierz Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration as a conceptual framework. Herman Hesse’s novel Siddhartha is selected for the study, and textual analysis is employed as a tool to analyse the text culling the relevant passages as evidence. The study reveals that the protagonist of the novel achieves higher level of personality development and the previously held assumptions which confuse spirituality with psychic disorders are overruled. It also asserts the validity of mystical experiences as higher form of consciousness yielding wisdom allowing mystics to transcend the temporal cum spatial barriers thereby elevating to the level of humanity. This paper suggests that the study of different mystical traditions may well lead to one’s personal development and may prove a step towards gaining maturity.Keywords: Mysticism, mystical experience, self-realization, positive disintegration, secondary integration.  Cite as: Imran, M., Bhatti, A. G., & Naveed, R.T. (2018). Psychological analysis of mystical experiences in Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 3(2), 66-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol3iss2pp66-79

scholarly journals POSITIVE DISINTEGRATION IN MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES: A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF MURIEL MAUFROY’S RUMI’S DAUGHTER

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Muhammad Imran ◽  
Muhammad Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Psychological Study ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Mystical Union ◽  
Level Of Consciousness ◽  
Positive Disintegration ◽  
Theory Of Positive Disintegration ◽  
Psychological Models ◽  
Mystical Experiences

The relationship between psychology and mysticism has gained a great deal of currency over the years. Various psychological models have provided theoretical foundations allowing the researchers to grasp profound varieties and nuances in mystical experiences across cultures and religious traditions. This has, in fact, broadened the canvass for mystical studies. The current paper attempts to carry out a psychological analysis of mystical experience of a character (mystic) named Kimya in Muriel Maufroy’s novel “Rumi’s Daughter”. The study carries out an analysis of how the mystic’s experience of the Divine can be translated in terms of a psychological process of personality disintegration initiated by a conflict, deconstruction of preconceived notions and beliefs and ultimately leading towards secondary integration of personality. Kazimierz Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration is employed as a framework to analyse her spiritual encounter. Through a minute textual analysis of the novel, the research reveals certain parallels between the process of personality development and mystical experience. It confirms the contention that the culmination of mystical union underlies psychological wellbeing and serenity on the part of mystic. The study also shows that mystics are those rare individuals who are capable of reaching the final level of personality development characterised by self-autonomy and higher level of consciousness.

Examining Ecological Concern among Persons Reporting Mystical Experiences

1987 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 591-596
Author(s):  
Thomas J Smurthwaite ◽  
Roy D. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Level Of Activity ◽  
Mystical Experiences ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Ecological Concern ◽  
Factual Recall

An experimental investigation was conducted to examine the hypothesis that persons repotting mystical experiences will show heightened concern about social problems which threaten the ecosphere. Subjects were divided into two groups based upon their responses to Hood's Mysticism Scale. Their factual recall and level of activity toward seven social issues was measured. Although no evidence supports the hypothesis, highly mystical subjects seemed more concerned about social problems in general. This finding contrasts with the commonly held hypothesis that mystical experience so focuses the individual on inner awareness that social problems are ignored.

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