Could mystical experiences be delusions? Of course they could. But then so could our sensory experiences. In a particular case we can test the reliability of our senses, but we can do so only by using our senses, thus rendering circular any attempt to prove that sensory experience as a whole puts us in touch with objective reality. All knowledge of the reality outside of our minds is rooted in leaps of faith, in decisions to trust what experience tells us about reality, and there’s no good reason to think that faith in one’s mystical experiences is any less rational than faith in one’s sensory
...more
