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Old 01-07-2007, 08:32 AM   #54 (permalink)
Hilary
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We can't name experiences (as God, demons etc) without cultural knowledge. And there's generally more than one name we could use: the 'supernatural' explanation is probably never the only possible one. So Boldylock's sister and her pastor call her experience a demonic attack; if she'd spoken to her doctor instead, I expect he'd have called it sleep paralysis with hypnagogic hallucinations, and reassured her that it wasn't dangerous. I'm not sure which response would be more helpful, though.

Anyway - we need knowledge to name experiences, and names to think about experiences. But do we need it in order to have the experiences? I think not.
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