The Science of Consciousness and Mystical Experience: An Argument for Radical Empiricism
March 1, 2014 Jason N. Blum
Recent findings in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology challenge the dominant neo-Kantian theory of consciousness, which holds that concepts and language are necessary foundations for consciousness. Evidence indicates emotion is more fundamental to consciousness than previously thought, and language plays a less foundational role. These developments support radical empiricism, which acknowledges nonlinguistic experience and treats emotional and qualitative aspects of experience as irreducible to discursive foundations. Radical empiricism thus offers a more accurate understanding of human consciousness and a better explanation for mystical experience, with implications for cross-cultural similarities and the veridicality of such experiences.