A neuroepistemology of mystical experience

This essay offers an anthropological perspective on a neuroepistemological account of mystical experience. It first describes features of mystical experience, such as distortions in time- and space-consciousness. It then examines the epistemology of mystical experience, focusing on the debate between constructivists and decontextualists. The authors develop a neuroepistemological framework and show how it might inform that debate. Finally, they discuss methodological challenges—like phenomenological naiveté—that can impede such an account, and outline the attributes needed in researchers to address these challenges.

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Abstract

This essay provides an anthropological account of a neuroepistemological account of mystical experience. We commence by outlining the various qualities of mystical experience (e.g. time-consciousness and space-consciousness distortion). Subsequently, we analyse the epistemology of mystical experience with special reference to the constructivist versus decontextualist debate. Next, we formulate a neuroepistemology of mystical experience and demonstrate how this account might contribute to the ongoing discourse between constructivists and decontextualists. Finally, from an anthropological point of view we discuss various methodological problems that may hinder a neuroepistemological account of mystical experience (e.g. phenomenological naiveté). We conclude by outlining the attributes of neuroepistemology of mystical experience researchers required to resolve the aforementioned methodological problems.