On Constructivism in Philosophy of Mysticism
The Journal of Religion 2020 DOI: 10.1086/706155 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key points | Argues that constructivism has become the mainstream consensus in the philosophy of mysticism, displacing the earlier perennialist or essentialist paradigm. |
Abstract
A generation ago the big fight in the philosophy of mysticism was over constructivism versus perennial philosophy. And as Jess BryonHollenback notes, “the contextualist paradigm appears to have scored a resounding triumph over its essentialist predecessor.” Certainly, constructivism today is, as Francis X. Clooney says, the “mainstream consensus.” And as Torben Hammersholt points out, “if one were to point to a text that has attracted the most scholarly attention within the last thirty years of research on mysticism, [Steven Katz’s 1978 article on constructivism] would be a strong candidate. It is now a classic.” That constructivism undercuts the veridicality of mystical experiential claims has been recognized for decades, but its rejection of unmediated experiences as being impossible certainly fits better with the postmodern temperament of the day. Constructivism dovetails with the postmodern concern for diversity and the common postmodern claim that the
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Psychometric brahman, psychedelic science: Walter Stace, transnational Vedanta, and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 2023
- Neurophenomenology and Neuroepistemology Approaches to Integrating Constructivist, Perennialist, and Universalist Perspectives on Mystical Experiences Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science July 31, 2024
- Secular Mysticism Religions July 14, 2022
- Is religious experience epistemologically reliable? An embodied-philosophical inquiry Religious Studies December 9, 2025
- Panikkar on Mysticism as a Middle Way between Contemplation and Action Religions October 27, 2023
and 6 more in the library