Question

James and Proudfoot differ on the nature of experience. James thinks experience is intuitive and immediate, thus, giving authority to the one having experience of any kind. Proudfoot thinks experience is constituted with concepts we learn from culture. Which view is the superior view in your reasoned opinion?

Answer 1

Answer:

The constructivist position, that mystical experiences are determined by the experiencer's cultural context, is now more prevalent among scholars of religion than the perennialist position, which maintains that mystical experiences have a common core that is cross-culturally universal. In large part, this is due to the efforts of Wayne Proudfoot in his widely accepted book, Religious Experience.In this article, I identify some significant unresolved issues in Proudfoot's defence of constructivism. My aim is not to defend perennialism, but to specify some objections to the constructivist thesis that constructivists need to address more adequately.

Explanation: