Critically Assess, with Reference to William James, the Argument from Religious Experience.

The argument from ghostlike go out seems to state that we washbasin capture God and in that locationfore God must exist, for sure enough what we give must be real. William James, American psychologist and philosopher, worked to expand on and substantiate this topic. James defined apparitional perplex as The feelings, acts and sires of several(prenominal) men in their solitude, so far as they cumulate up themselves to stand in relation to whatsoever they whitethorn claim divine. He then identified the four types of private fetchs: indefinable, noetic, transient, passive. An ineffable experience is one that can non easily be articulated. It is too extensive a thing for words and in that respectfore not inevitably understood by those who attain not experience it. rational means intellect. It is an experience that is not purely base on emotion, but one that provides an insight into unearthly truths which realize world(a) or eternal significance. A transien t experience short, and cannot be sustained for a long duration of time. The final type, passive, is an experience which the recipient has no control over. They be a issue from God and leave one powerless. They can be tended to(p) by some sort of spiritual gift such as speaking in tongues.

James concluded that religious experiences are psychological phenomenas that occur in our brain and have both(prenominal) a physical and supernatural element to them. This end focus was based on three principles. The first of these is empiricism. This is to say, we interpret religious experiences in the same way that we would for any other situation. undermentioned we have pluralism. This tells us that regardless of differing relig! ions, all experiences originate from the ultimate reality and act as proof for the existence of God. Lastly, there is pragmatism. James was a pragmatist and therefore believed that truth is not fixed. It alters as our values change. From looking at the effects of religious experience we can see that there is truth in religion. This guess appears...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net

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