The Construction of Mystical Experience
Robert K. C. Forman, The Society Of Christian Philosophers
Faith and Philosophy 1988 DOI: 10.5840/faithphil19885325 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key points | Argues that Katz's constructivist account of mystical experience, though valuable, is ill-suited to explain the novelties and surprises for which mysticism is renowned, and proposes instead that mysticism is produced by a process similar to forgetting, involving a complete forgetting of concepts in the "pure consciousness event" and de-automatization in more permanent unitive experiences. |
Abstract
Capitalizing on the constructivist approach developed by philosophers and psychologists, Steven Katz argues that mystical experience is in part constructed, shaped and colored by the concepts and beliefs which the mystic brings to it.Merits and problems of this constructivist account of mysticism are discussed.The approach is seen to be ill-suited to explain the novelties and surprises for which mysticism is renowned.A new model is suggested: that mysticism is produced by a process similar to forgetting.Two forms of forgetting are described: a massive and complete forgetting of concepts in the "pure consciousness event" and de automatization in the more permanent unitive experiences.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Vectorial Cerebral Hemisphericity as Differential Sources for the Sensed Presence, Mystical Experiences and Religious Conversions | 1993 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The epistemic innocence of psychedelic states. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mystical Experience and Religious Doctrine | 1982 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |