Carlos Castaneda
Walter A. Shelburne
Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 1, 1987 DOI: 10.1177/0022167887272007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that Castaneda's Don Juan chronicle cannot be literally true but functions allegorically to convey teachings and the claim that literal truth is irrelevant to the account's truth. The author rejects that claim, contending that metaphorical value depends on links to literal realities, and concludes the books yield no reliable knowledge about transpersonal experience. |
Abstract
The significance of Castaneda's account of reported experiences with Don Juan Matus is explored for transpersonal psychology. It is argued that the Don Juan chronicle cannot be a literally true account. Yet, I contend that Castaneda tries to discuss seriolus issues allegorically. On the content level, the message is said to consist of several of Don Juan's teachings. I argue that the manner of presentation of the books as a whole also constitutes a kind of process message in which Castaneda is contending that the issue of whether it literally happened or not makes no fundamental difference to the truth of the account. The metaphorical value of Castaneda's work is held to be ultimately dependent on its link to literal realities and hence the process statement embodied in Castaneda's work is rejected. It is concluded that the Castaneda books yield no reliable knowledge about the nature of trans-personal experience.