Religious experience and religious knowledge 655 i perceiving god want to explore and defend the idea that the experience, or, as i shall say, the perception, of god plays an epistemic role with respect to beliefs about god importantly analogous to that. William alston s perceiving god argues that some mystical experiences should be regarded as perceptions of god analogous to the perception of physical objects in sense experience. This is a 5000 word entry on the philosophy of religion of william p. Alston, the founding editor of this journal, died sept. The epistemology of religious experience is a 1991 book about the philosophy of religion by the philosopher william alston, in which the author discusses experiential awareness of god.
The epistemology of religious experience by william p. Alston argues that the perception of god his term for direct experiential awareness of god makes a major contribution to the. Alston s perceptual beliefs are analogous to plantingas properly basic beliefs 3. Alston in this clear and provocative account of the epistemology of religious experience, william p. Linkpage citation as the publication by cornell university press in 1989 of collections of his essays in both epistemology and philosophy of religion indicates, william p. Pdf religious experience and epistemic justification. In this clear and provocative account of the epistemology of religious experience, william p.
Alston offers a clear and provocative account of the epistemology. Alston argues that the perception of god his term for direct experiential awareness of god makes a major contribution to. Alston s overall aim in perceiving god is to show that we are rationally justified in believing that our apparent direct perceptions of god s presence called mexperiences are reliable and thus for the most part veridical, the objective, existentiallycommitted beliefs based on these experiences thereby being prima facie justified. Alston writes that his central thesis is that experiential awareness of god. Alston argues that the perception of god his term for direct experiential awareness of god makes a major contribution to the grounds of religious belief. I greatly admire alstons work on epistemic justification and his epistemology of religious. These involve a simple presentation of some object of mystical perception to a subject. The epistemology of religious experience is a 1991 book about the. The book was first published in the united states by cornell university press. He argues that the perception of god his term for direct experiential awareness of god makes a major contribution to the grounds of religious belief. He argues that the perception of godhis term for direct experiential.
William payne alston 19212009 was an american philosopher who taught at a number of universities. Pdf alston on the rationality of doxastic practices. Use the link below to share a fulltext version of this article with your friends and colleagues. He wrote in the introduction to this 1991 book, the central thesis of this book is that experiential awareness of god, or the perception of god, makes an important contribution to the grounds of religious belief. Perceiving god, in journal of philosophy 83 november, i986, 655. Cloud state university synopsis in perceiving god, alston attempts to show that mystical perception is a source of epistemic justification for beliefs about god. The epistemology of religious experience, all from cornell. Surveying the variety of reported direct experiences of god, alston demonstrates that a person can be justified in holding certain beliefs about god.
While alston s views on philosophical theology are crucial contributions to the field, his most pioneering work is thought to be perceiving god 1991, in which he develops a doxastic practice approach to the epistemology of religious experience. The autonomy and explanation of mystical perception. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The idea of phenomenology along with george nakhnikian in 1973, 1 published perceiving god. In his book perceiving god, william alston claims that some mystical experiences are direct perceptions of god. The superbeings also available for read online in mobile and kindle.
Pdf alston on the rationality of doxastic practices researchgate. A critique of william alston s perceiving god by keith augustine. Alston offers a clear and provocative account of the epistemology of religious experience. He graduated from high school when he was 15 and went on to centenary college of louisiana, graduating in 1942 with a bachelor of music in piano. Alston was professor of philosophy emeritus at syracuse university. Volume 83, issue 11, november 1986 eightythird annual meeting american philosophical association, eastern division. Paper copies of the alston and the plantinga papers are available for copying in the philosophy department office first floor of connecticut hall 216. During world war ii, he played clarinet and bass drum in a military band in california. Jonathan vogel, cartesian skepticism and inference to the best explanation, jp, 1990. The epistemology of religious experience ithaca, n. Alston has made distinguished contributions to these two areas of philosophy. Given the magnitude of william alston s achievement in perceiving god, 1 it is surprising to nd an article which in a very few pages both summarizes his main argument and o ers a refutation of it. He argues that putative experiences of god can provide prima facie justification for beliefs. Cornell university press fosters a culture of broad and sustained inquiry through the publication of scholarship that is engaged, influential, and of lasting significance.
William alston s perceiving god contends that some people have mystical experiences that can constitute direct, nonsensory perceptions of god. On alston s account, beliefs about god derived from mystical experiences are prima facie. Surveying the variety of reported direct experiences of god among laypersons and famous mystics, alston demonstrates. While i believe alston s view is correct in many essentials, the main problem with the account, i will suggest, is that it divorces the idea of encountering or perceiving god from the idea of being united with god. In alston s perceiving god john turri this paper clari. This paper clarifies and evaluates a premise of william alstons argument in. He contests alstons claim that for any established doxastic.
Cornell university press 1991 abstract introduction i. Alston 1993, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. The epistemology of religious experience in 1991, a seminal work in the burgeoning literature in. Alston was born to eunice schoolfield and william alston on november 29, 1921, in shreveport, louisiana. He came to the conclusion that god wanted him to work at philosophy of. It is the presentational character of the mystical experience that alston. William alston and the direct perception of god sage journals.