Quick Answer
The argument from personal religious experience says that an apparent encounter with God can provide prima facie evidence for the experiencer, unless there is a defeater such as deception or a better natural explanation.
Key Takeaways
- ✦First-person evidence need not persuade everyone equally.
- ✦Cross-cultural diversity creates a challenge.
- ✦The argument differs from proof by public experiment.
Question
Can a private experience be evidence?
Quick Answer
It can rationally affect the experiencer, although public disagreement and alternative explanations limit its force for others.
The Issue
Philosophers compare trust in experience with the need for defeaters. The question is not whether experience is real, but what it justifies.
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Archive references
Sources
- 01Religious ExperienceBy Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyConsult source
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Reviewed by ZHAIBIAN AI Editorial Review · 2026-08-23