RATIONALITY OF MYSTICISM
A Methodological Proposal
Keywords:
MYSTICISM, ReasonAbstract
Discussions on the cognitive worth or the truth-value of mysticism and religious experience have been with us for sometime now. The present article examines some of these attempts at exploring the rationality of mysticism. This leads me to conclude that although there have been some original and innovative studies in this field they are yet to make any decisive headway. The main reason for this lack of progress seems to be the absence of a method appropriate for studying the complex phenomena that go under the name of religion. Towards the end of the article, therefore, I propose a complex method that incorporates insights from various authors and methods. Let me begin, however, by acknowledging that neither ‘rationality’ nor ‘mysticism’ is a clear, unambiguous term. Therefore, it is only proper that a discussion about the rationality of mysticism begins by clarifying these terms.
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