Ali Qadir

2 papers in the library · 2 citations · publishing 2024-2025

Papers

De-Mystifying Mysticism: A Critical Realist Perspective on Ambivalences in the Study of Mysticism

Religions December 25, 2024 Ali Qadir, Tatiana Tiaynen-Qadir 2 citations

The study of mysticism has stalled between two opposing views: a naive realism that assumes a universal core to mystical experiences and a critical stance that questions whether the category of mysticism itself is valid. This review examines 20th-century scholarship to understand why the term was largely abandoned. Analyzing key literature from religious studies, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and psychology through a critical realist lens, the authors identify two axes of debate. One axis concerns whether mysticism has a reified, fixed essence or a relativized, context-dependent substance. The other axis asks whether mystical knowledge is limited to rare elites or accessible to all.

DOI: 10.3390/rel16010010 Mysticism Philosophy Perspective graphical Epistemology +2

Editorial: Mysticism Reloaded

Religions October 15, 2025 Ali Qadir

The study of mysticism is in a state of turmoil, with ongoing debates about its definition, methods, and boundaries. The authors argue that this crisis stems from conflicting approaches across disciplines such as philosophy, theology, and religious studies, each imposing different criteria for what counts as mystical experience. They propose that a more integrated, interdisciplinary framework is needed to move beyond these disputes. The paper critiques existing models and contends that without a shared conceptual foundation, scholarship on mysticism will remain fragmented and unable to produce coherent knowledge.

DOI: 10.3390/rel16101311 State computer science Jewish mysticism Criticism Philosophy +1