james

• James claimed the purpose of humanity is union with the higher universe that gives this world its significance
• 4 parts of James' criteria for assessing the genuine nature of a mystical experience

  • ineffability
  • noetic quality
  • transiency
  • passivity
• ineffable = refers to the fact that something cannot be described

  • in relation to mystical experience: a private experience that makes sense only to other mystics; it cannot be described in words
• noetic = communication of genuine insights

  • in relation to mystical experience: gives genuine insight into truths; non-rational + intuitive, rather than intellectual
• transient = refers to the short-lived nature of an experience

  • in relation to mystical experience: the experience is usually short; it becomes more difficult to reproduce in memory; it has a life-transforming effect on the individuals view of life
• passivity = an aspect of a mystical religious experience, in which the experiencer does not control the experience but is controlled by it

  • in relation to mystical experience: the experience controls the mystic, whose will is unable to direct what happens; may result in unusual activity e.g. Teresa of Avila is said to have levitated