Abstract
James delineates three types of functionality—productive, transmissive, and permissive—to explain the relationship between consciousness and the brain. Some demonologists refer to what they call the functional name of the demon, expressed in the particular sin it represents, while others treat demons more as persons. This idea of productive functionality in demonic possession takes on new significance when considering that some exorcists report that demons are drawn out with a physical process that includes vomiting and mysterious phlegm. Also considered is the phenomenon of alien abduction, which has similarities to the idea of demonic possession and reveals a new form of religious imagination.
Remember, every communication must have the human element—Vibrating Hodgson.
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Ruetenik, T. (2018). The Varieties of Demonic Experience: A Study in Quasi-Human Nature. In: The Demons of William James. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91623-1_5
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