WSCC professor’s essay is published

Dr. Matt Sanderson

WSCC professor’s essay is published

WSCC News is a presentation of West Shore Community College in partnership with Mason County Press. 

VICTORY TOWNSHIP — An essay written by West Shore Community College Professor Matt Sanderson was recently published. The essay was titled “Philosophy of Mysticism: Do Mystical Experiences Justify Religious Beliefs?”

The website that published the essay is called 1000-Word Philosophy. A popular site utilized by both students and professors, the essays are relatively short and written by experts in the field in easy to understand language.  The website primarily takes essays submitted from instructors teaching undergraduate philosophy courses.  

“One of my research specialties is mysticism, and I noticed the site did not have an essay on the topic,” said Dr. Sanderson.

Sanderson was born and raised in Baltimore.  He received a bachelor’s degree from Towson University where he double majored in philosophy and religious studies, as well as psychology.  He obtained a master’s degree and doctorate degree in philosophy from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale. Sanderson came to WSCC in 2007, and has since presented essays in over 40 conferences and has published journals in multiple publications, including International Studies in Philosophy.

“Mystical experiences are a unique type of religious or spiritual experience: they are experiences where all things seem to be ‘one’ or interconnected in some way,” Sanderson said. “There are good reasons to think mystical experiences are genuine or ‘real’ in the sense that people experience what they believe they experience.”

To read the essay, visit https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2023/07/31/philosophy-of-mysticism/