On the ineffability and the noetic quality of mystical experiences
Eikasía Revista de Filosofía May 11, 2026 Gabriel Martínez Villarreal
Mystical experiences are both noetic—providing knowledge—and ineffable, posing an epistemological puzzle. Using Wittgenstein's Tractatus, the paper argues that mystical knowledge lies beyond the limits of language and the world, occupying a liminal, negative space. Though epistemically weak from this perspective, such experiences hold pragmatic and subjective value for religious life.