Towards a Renewed Mysticism: Epistemic Standards in Theory and Practice

Abstract

This paper seeks to contribute to an important debate in philosophy of religion that asks whether a subject is epistemically justified in forming beliefs about God based on a mystical experience. In this paper, I survey the most prominent standards used to secure epistemic justification and consider their respective strengths and shortcomings. I then compose my own set of criteria to use in evaluating the veridicality of putative mystical experiences which draws upon the subject’s religious tradition, rationality, and affectivity. I defend the utility and efficacy of my criteria by showing how they better capture the well-known and contextually-distinct historical examples of Marguerite Porete and Saint Augustine’s mystical experiences.