Methodology and Mysticism: For an Integral Study of Religion
Religions February 24, 2022 Fabian Völker
The study of religion cannot fully address its distinctive object without combining empirical methods with phenomenological access and philosophical reflection. A paradigmatic investigation of the subjective, interior side of mysticism shows that empirical approaches reach their limit. An integrative methodology is needed that respects the legitimacy of complementary lines of inquiry—empirical, phenomenological, and philosophical—in a methodically differentiated and reflexively judicious manner. To avoid empiricist reductionism, a transcendental philosophical method should serve as the basis for methodological pluralism. This approach also empowers a critical expansion of new phenomenologies of religion and constructive interaction with intercultural philosophy of religion.