Mystical Experience in Steven T. Katz’s Constructivist Contextualism Approach
Abstract
The aim of this article is to present an interpretative model of mystical experience, which emerges from the publications of S. Katz, professor of philosophy of religion and comparative mysticism at Boston University (USA). His view originated as a negative reaction to the conception known in the contemporary philosophical reflection on mysticism as “universal core” that promotes a conviction about the possibility of reduction of variety of mystical experiences basically to one common model. S. Katz’s point of view is pluralistic; it means he realizes impassable differences among different kinds of mysticisms. His theory is based on a notion of experience conceived as mediated. As a consequence of this assumption he presents mystical experience as a shaping process, in which decisive factors are the constructive abilities of human mind, the cultural milieu and religious traditions, where the experience takes place, and finally the experienced reality thought as conditioned contextually and subjective. The paper besides the presentational goals brings also an attempt of critical evaluation of the presented views.
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