Since the 1960s, philosophical controversies concerning the nature of mysticism mainly surround the relationship between mysticism and language, and the typology of mysticism. Moreover, as standard empiricist epistemologies no longer dominate the scene, new types of epistemology, which grant mystical experiences much more evidential force, have been formulated.

Mysticism and Language

Concerning the relationship between mysticism and language, some believe that mysticism transcends language, as reflected in the claim that mysticism is essentially ineffable. Taken literally, this claim generates many paradoxes, and Keith Yandell (1993, chaps. 3–5) has made sharp criticisms of various versions of the ineffability thesis (Alston 1992, Matilal 1992).

At the other end of the spectrum, Steven Katz claims that mystical experiences are largely constructed out of the language provided by the mystics's conceptual framework and practice. His work has been largely responsible for the contextualist turn in the...