International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
August 1, 2026
Hamid Nourbakhshi
Abstract Can visual experience represent deific properties? I argue that it can. Some perceptual experiences, I argue, could represent properties like being a creation of God or being a manifestation of divine beauty . To defend this thesis, I use Susanna Siegel’s method of phenomenal contrast. I compare an ordinary perception of an object with a perception of the same object during a similar...
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
March 17, 2026
Alberto Cavallarin
Abstract According to “hinge epistemology”, our worldviews are shaped by “hinges”: certainties, assumptions, or commitments that have a “framework” function and are therefore beyond epistemic evaluation. Recently, some scholars have suggested that religious hinges are unique kinds of hinges, or that there is something distinct about the application of hinge epistemology to religious contexts....
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
February 21, 2024
Sebastian Gäb
4 citations
Abstract This paper discusses the nonconceptual theory of mystical ineffability which claims that mystical experiences can’t be expressed linguistically because they can’t be conceptualized. I discuss and refute two objections against it: (a) that unconceptualized experiences are impossible, and (b) that the theory is ad hoc because it provides no reason for why mystical experiences should be...
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
December 1, 2021
Sebastian Gäb
AbstractIt has often been claimed, e.g. by William James or Aldous Huxley, that mystical experiences across times and cultures exhibit a striking similarity. Even though the words and images we use to describe them are different, underneath the surface we find a common experiential core. Others have rejected this claim and argued that all experiences are intrinsically shaped by the mystics’...
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion
December 1, 2016
Matthew Burch
This article challenges the claim that the rise of naturalism is devastating to religious belief. This claim hinges on an extreme interpretation of naturalism called scientism, the metaphysical view that science offers an exhaustive account of the real. For those committed to scientism, religious discourse is epistemically illegitimate, because it refers to matters that transcend—and so cannot...