Name James's four marks of mystical experience.

James lists ineffability, a noetic quality, transiency and passivity. All four together characterise a genuinely mystical state.

What does James mean by ineffability?

An ineffable experience defies adequate expression in words. The state must be undergone directly, and James compares it to a feeling rather than a thought.

What does James mean by the noetic quality?

Mystical states are states of knowledge as well as of feeling. Insight into truths beyond the reach of ordinary reasoning is claimed, and the insight carries authority.

What does James mean by transiency?

Mystical states cannot be sustained for long, rarely more than an hour or two. Memory of the state remains imperfect, though it is recognised when it returns.

Eduqas A-Level Religious Studies A120QS

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Religious Experience

William James's four marks and Otto's numinous

3 things to know
Component 2

Overview

James's four marks of mystical experience, rudolf Otto and phrase mysterium tremendum et fascinans.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Numbers

Where does William James set out his study, what does he examine, and what four marks does he identify?

Numbers

In which work does William James examine religious experience?

Key term

How does James define religion for the purposes of his study?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
In which work does William James examine religious experience?
Model answer
James sets out his study in The Varieties of Religious Experience, published in 1902. The book collects the Gifford Lectures he gave in Edinburgh.
2
How does James define religion for the purposes of his study?
Model answer
James studies the feelings, acts and experiences of individuals in their solitude. Institutions, creeds and theology are deliberately set aside.
3
Name James's four marks of mystical experience.
Model answer
James lists ineffability, a noetic quality, transiency and passivity. All four together characterise a genuinely mystical state.
4
What does James mean by ineffability?
Model answer
An ineffable experience defies adequate expression in words. The state must be undergone directly, and James compares it to a feeling rather than a thought.
5
What does James mean by the noetic quality?
Model answer
Mystical states are states of knowledge as well as of feeling. Insight into truths beyond the reach of ordinary reasoning is claimed, and the insight carries authority.
6
What does James mean by transiency?
Model answer
Mystical states cannot be sustained for long, rarely more than an hour or two. Memory of the state remains imperfect, though it is recognised when it returns.

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