Question

According to William James, religious experiences or "mystical states, when well developed, usually are, and have the right to be, absolutely authoritative over the individuals to whom they come." What are his reasons for concluding this?

Answer 1

He concludes this because he believes that if a person comes to live around a belief and they feel good and prosperous living in this way, that person should not be provoked to abandon that type of life, but should be left alone.

Step-by-step explanation:

For William James, people often judge the dominating power of a religious belief or experience in someone else's life, very incorrectly. In fact, he believes that religious beliefs and experiences have the capacity to be authoritarian and to control people's lives completely, making individuals live, completely for that. Many people see this as something evil and that must be combated, but it is not true. For James, if a person lives well and happily, within that authoritarian system of religious belief, that person must be left alone and must continue to live in the way that pleases him.