Response to Robert K. C. Forman
Bruce Janz
Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses June 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1177/000842989602500206 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that hermeneutical and epistemological paradigms for understanding mystical experience are not easily translated into each other, and that the hermeneutical model is preferable because it shifts emphasis from explanation to understanding. Contends that mystical experience, described as the falling away of factical conditions and a meeting with Infinite Being, cannot be reduced to epistemology and is not about content; the mystic understands Being without concepts. |
Abstract
The hermeneutical and the epistemological paradigms for understanding mystical experience are not easily translated into each other. The hermeneutical model has the advantage in that it shifts the emphasis from explanation to understanding. Mystical experience, namely, the falling away of the factical conditions of human existence and the meeting with Infinite Being, cannot be reduced to epistemology, nor does it adhere to the categories of knowledge. Mystical experience is not about content at all; the mystic understands Being without concepts.