Comparison and the Spectre of Perennialism: A Reply to Craig Martin
In: Method & Theory in the Study of ReligionSearch for other papers by Jason Blum in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
Craig Martin accuses me of repeating the mistakes of perennialism, perpetuating an irresponsible and covertly theological approach to research that rushes to identify dubious “similarities” in religious experience across culture and history. While it is true that I identify cross-cultural similarities in the accounts of mystical experience that I examine in Zen and the Unspeakable God, that argument is based on historical evidence, and does not imply the questionable theological conclusions for which classical perennialism has been criticized. Learning from the mistakes of perennialism does not mean dismissing comparison as an illegitimate enterprise or rejecting cross-cultural similarities as prima facie impossible; it means insisting on evidentially-grounded and historically sensitive research that is willing and able to identify both differences and similarities. It also means resisting the temptation to oversimplify our task by reducing all research on religion to one preferred analytical category.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Blum, Jason (2012). Radical empiricism and the unremarkable nature of mystic ineffability. Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 24.3: 1–19.
-
Blum, Jason (2014). The science of consciousness and mystical experience: An argument for radical empiricism. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 82.1: 150–173.
-
Blum, Jason (2015). Zen and the Unspeakable God. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press.
-
Bush, Stephen (2014). Visions of Religion: Experience, Meaning, and Power. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
-
Martin, Craig (2017). Yes, … but …”: The neo-perennialists. Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 19.2.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 221 | 54 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 325 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 155 | 3 | 1 |
Comparison and the Spectre of Perennialism: A Reply to Craig Martin
In: Method & Theory in the Study of ReligionSearch for other papers by Jason Blum in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Craig Martin accuses me of repeating the mistakes of perennialism, perpetuating an irresponsible and covertly theological approach to research that rushes to identify dubious “similarities” in religious experience across culture and history. While it is true that I identify cross-cultural similarities in the accounts of mystical experience that I examine in Zen and the Unspeakable God, that argument is based on historical evidence, and does not imply the questionable theological conclusions for which classical perennialism has been criticized. Learning from the mistakes of perennialism does not mean dismissing comparison as an illegitimate enterprise or rejecting cross-cultural similarities as prima facie impossible; it means insisting on evidentially-grounded and historically sensitive research that is willing and able to identify both differences and similarities. It also means resisting the temptation to oversimplify our task by reducing all research on religion to one preferred analytical category.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 221 | 54 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 325 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 155 | 3 | 1 |