C. S. Peirce and Religious Experience
Peirce's Philosophical Perspectives January 1, 1996 DOI: 10.5422/fordham/9780823216154.003.0010 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeirce's theory of experience and cognition resolves two longstanding problems in the analysis of religion: classical empiricism's claim that religious language is cognitively meaningless, and the tension believers feel between needing an authentic experience of God's presence and needing rational argument to legitimate that experience. Experience makes religion concrete and alive, while argument authenticates the experience. Peirce's framework answers both challenges by showing how experience and cognition are integrated.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that Peirce's general theory of experience and cognition can resolve the classical empiricist challenge to religious language and the tension between religious experience and rational legitimation. |
Abstract
This chapter discusses how Peirce viewed the role of experience in religion. Over the years, there have been two problems present in the analysis of religion and religious experience. The first is classical empiricism's charge that religious language is meaningless, in the sense of bearing no cognitive content. The second is the tension felt by religious believers between the need for an authentic experience of God—a sense of awareness of God's nearness or presence—and the need for rational argument to ground and to legitimate any such experience. Experience is required to make religion concrete and alive; argument is required to authenticate the experience. The chapter turns to Peirce to answer both these problems in terms of his general theory of experience and cognition.