James' Four Characteristics of Religious Experience
William James' phenomenological analysis of mystical experience identifying four characteristics: ineffability (experiences transcend linguistic expression), noetic quality (experiences feel revelatory, imparting knowledge), transiency (brief duration), and passivity (experiences seem to come upon the subject rather than being generated willfully).
Real World
William James drew on hundreds of first-hand accounts in 'The Varieties of Religious Experience' (1902), including testimonies from figures like Leo Tolstoy and George Fox, to establish his four empirical criteria.
Exam Focus
Memorise all four characteristics using the mnemonic INTP (Ineffability, Noetic, Transiency, Passivity) and define each precisely in exam answers.
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