Understanding Religious Experience

This work seeks to answer a number of fundamental questions about religious experiences. It thus addresses issues such as what it is that makes such experiences `religious,' whether some religious experiences are more `authentic' than others and whether these experiences provide insights into otherwise inaccessible regions of reality or are products of the brains of those who have them. The author draws upon a number of scholarly perspectives in the course of this project, primarily phenomenological, philosophical and psychological ones, though research from other academic disciplines has also been incorporated.