Argument from Religious Experience

Argument for God from Religious Experience

William James' Approach

• Wrote Varieties of Religious Experiences and came from not only a Philosophical approach but also a psychological and scientific approach
• Said that all religious experiences are: Noetic, Transcient, Ineffable and Passive
• Accepted that people need 'good dispositions' to contribute as evidence
• Experiences indicate the probability of a 'God' of sorts
• Experiences are essential to religious belief and because they are common then this is good evidence for a higher being
• BUT - James took a pragmatic approach towards religious experiences - the outcome of the experience gives it meaning not its cause
• Also took a pluralistic approach that suggested all religious experiences point towards the same ultimate reality

Swinburne's argument

• Swinburne argued that: 'If there is a God he would make himself know, there are experiences of God, therefore God exists'
• Accepted issues around evidence but had two principles to account for this:
• Principle of Credulity - If there is no evidence to oppose the experience (person…