Atheistic Mysticism
Atheistic Platonism 2023 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-17752-1_11 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 11 |
| Population | Cases of atheistic mystical experience |
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key points | Argues that five themes in atheistic mystical experience can be interpreted through atheistic Platonism, with structural insight and wholeness reflecting membership in nature's hierarchy, extremity due to nature's transcendental infinity, ego dissolution as encoding only the existential quantifier, and valuable connection as alignment with the Good. |
Abstract
Eleven detailed cases of atheistic mystical experience are examined. Five themes emerge from these cases: structural insight, wholeness, extremity, ego dissolution, and valuable connection. I will use atheistic Platonism to interpret these five themes. Structural insight and wholeness correspond to that singular relational power that binds all things together into the wholeness of nature. This power is membership, and nature is the entire iterative hierarchy of classes. Mystical extremity is explained by the fact that the wholeness of nature is transcendental—it has the absolute infinity of a proper class. During ego dissolution, the mystic brain drops all its ontic encodings. It encodes only the existential quantifier in its orientation toward the Good. Valuable connection reveals that the singular relational power points from the One to the Good. Aligning with this orientation, the body of the atheistic mystic bears perfect witness to the Good.