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    William James argues in The Varieties of Religious Experi... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→The feelings of awe which people feel towards God can be, and often are, applied to the universe itself.

    William James argues in The Varieties of Religious Experience that genuine religious awe involves a felt sense of presence of a distinct, responsive personal reality beyond the self.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.James's empirical method prioritizes first-person accounts, which consistently report encounters with reality felt as external and responsive.
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    • 2.A felt presence of distinct otherness explains why religious experiences produce transformative effects unavailable through mere self-reflection.
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    • 3.Personal responsiveness—the sense of being addressed or answered—distinguishes genuine religious experience from impersonal natural awe.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Phenomenological reports of 'felt presence' can result from neurological states, memory patterns, or psychological projection without external reality.
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    • 2.James conflates the psychological force of an experience with evidence for an actual distinct reality beyond the self.
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    Key Terms

    Felt sense(as used in describing subjective experience)
    The immediate, personal experience or emotion you have in your body or mind—like the gut feeling of being wronged, even if you can't fully explain why.
    Personal reality(as describing what James says people sense beyond themselves)
    Something that exists as a being or entity with its own thoughts, will, or consciousness—not just a force or abstract idea.
    Religious awe(as the emotional experience James is analyzing)
    A deep feeling of wonder, reverence, or humility that people get when they sense something sacred or transcendent—like feeling small in the presence of something greater than yourself.
    The Varieties of Religious Experience(as the source text being discussed)
    A famous 1902 book where James collected and analyzed hundreds of personal accounts of religious and spiritual experiences from different cultures and religions to understand what they have in common.
    William James(the philosopher being discussed)
    An American philosopher (1842-1910) who founded a school of thought called pragmatism, which judges ideas by whether they work in real life rather than whether they're theoretically perfect.
    presence(Identified as a necessary component of fidelity alongside constancy)
    An affective engagement with another, beyond mere physical or temporal constancy

    Connections

    2 topics

    Religious Experience1 linkedAesthetics1 linked

    Related

    A felt presence of distinct otherness explains why religious experiences produce...James conflates the psychological force of an experience with evidence for an ac...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    James's empirical method prioritizes first-person accounts, which consistently r...
    Personal responsiveness—the sense of being addressed or answered—distinguishes g...
    +2 moreShow less
    Phenomenological reports of 'felt presence' can result from neurological states,...The feelings of awe which people feel towards God can be, and often are, applied...