Customer Reviews

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature

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I am always surprised when I am cruising around Amazon and take a look at a classic and find just 1 or 2 customer comments on a book such as James's masterful "Varieties". So, I just had to say something. This is one of the greatest and most readable books ever written on the subject of religion. Don't be surprised at what you find. WJ is not making a "case" for belief here, or any case for any particular religious "system". He is studying religious experience, trying to get to the bottom of what brings it about and what it means for human beings. Thus, he pays little attention to what we call "organized religion." He spends his time, rather, with the various ways that people have experienced God or the supernatural or the spiritual. James's style is very subtle, ornate, and powerful. Just let yourself soak in it for awhile and then try to learn. His metaphors are so stunning as to be memorable for the rest of your life. His discussion of the healthy-minded, the sick soul, and the mystic will entrall you and thrill you with his erudition, and they will become touchstones in your own religious experience and your own study of religion for the rest of your life. Religion is a living reality for WJ. He gives a powerful analysis of what it can, should, and does mean to men and women in the modern world. If you wish to understand modern thought on religion, by the way, you must read James, for much of it springs from his thought. Lastly, James is the kindest thinker who ever put pen to paper. For those of in the William james Society, this is why we love him so. He never chides or derides or condemns. He gently disagrees, looks for the best from every idea and every experience and every person, and lavishes praise on what he finds excellent and meaningful. His thought and writing and philosophical depth and style are an inspiration. Spend some time with one of the greatest thinkers ever. You won't regret it.

The previous reviews are very good descriptions of this book. I'd like to reiterate that it helps while reading to remember that this is primarily a study of many case histories of very personal and profound experiences with God. They are mostly in the form of excerpts from autobiographies and memoirs, mainly Christian and contemporary (the book was published in 1903), but many also from other times and faiths. There is no addressing the pros and cons of organized religion here, or, for that matter, of questions like whether miracles really happen, etc.

This book is a microcosm, though. James touches on so many matters of religion and, indeed, life and philosophy overall that the book makes valuable reading for anyone interested in humans generally.

He talks, of necessity, quite a bit about the subconscious, which had just recently been "invented," showing that profound religious experiences comes from there, though that doesn't mean that they're not of divine origin: perhaps it's our subconscious self that connects to God.

James then analyzes these experiences from the pragmatic point of view of, Are these experiences healthy? What are their "fruits"?

But there are no ultimate "Answers" of the kind you find suggested in other works of philosophy or theology. Despite some heady speculation towards the end, James sticks to the facts, and never expects his audience to accept anything unproven.

Especially interesting, I thought, were the descriptions of "conversion," a two-fold experience consisting of spiritual crisis and of release from that crisis and the reaching of a profound state of surety and, usually, happiness. Besides many others, he describes the conversion processes of John Bunyan (a schizophrenic) and Leo Tolstoy. James makes the very interesting comparison of the process (nowadays called "being born again") with the natural process of adolescence, and speculates that conversion crisis, as encouraged by the Protestant churches, is perhaps one of the healthiest and safest ways of attaining adulthood.

Also fascinating is James' description of "the Healthy-minded Individual," who is born with a trusting assurance of God's loving presence, and who never goes through any crisis of conversion because he doesn't need to. I myself would doubt the existence of these lucky people, but then I recalled a person (my children's teacher) who is always cheerful, energetic, and kind, and who I sincerely believe has never lost her temper or been anything more than necessarily stern with her students, parents, and other teachers. She has a profound, almost instinctive, faith in God. That for me is living proof of the veracity of James' categories and conclusions.

And James' own almost chivalrous kindness, honesty, and respect for us, his audience make me feel that he himself, whether "once-" or "twice-born," had reached that higher level of morality and happiness; it made reading this book a profound and inspiring experience.

Oddly, the preface (by Martin E. Marty) of the version of "Varieties" that I have (Penguin) does not mention the following, found in the preface to the William James volume of the "Great Books" series:

"James had been concerned with religion from an empirical point of view as early as 1869, when he had noted in a review the 'anomalous' and 'discreditable' attitude of a so-called enlightened society toward psychical phenomena. To ascertain the appropriate 'stall or pigeonhole' for these 'wild facts,' he helped organize the American Society for Psychical Research in 1884. Two years later he was invited to give the Gifford Lectures on Natural Religion at the University of Edinburgh.

"On a vacation climb in the Adirondacks in 1898, James underwent a variety of religious experience: 'It seemed as if the Gods of all the nature-mythologies were holding an indescribable meeting in my breast with the moral Gods of the inner life....Doubtless in more ways than one, things in the Edinburgh lectures will be traceable to it,' he wrote his wife. The climb, however, overtaxed his heart, which would not have impaired his health if he had not essayed the Adirondacks the following summer and lost his way. There followed two years of complete collapse. Thus the Gifford Lectures were not finished until 1902, when they were also published in book form as 'The Varieties of Religious Experience.'"

You will not draw the nectar out of this book unless you are aware (the earlier the better) of James' premise that the stronghold of religion lies in individuality. These lectures are not a study of "religion" nor even a study of religious "experiences" in toto, but a study of "individual" religious experience. Singular. It sounds narrow only until you add the other word of the title... "varieties."

Why such an emphasis upon the individual? Because, as James states, the pivot around which the religious life revolves "is the interest of the individual in his private personal destiny." All proper "religion" by such a definition must consist in an individual experiencing connection with that which he considers to be the higher power(s). In fact, at one point James states that "prayer is real religion." And further, "Wherever this interior prayer is lacking, there is no religion; wherever, on the other hand, this prayer rises and stirs the soul, even in the absence of forms or of doctrines, we have living religion." A thought-provoking principle.

You will never appease your hunger by staring at a menu. You have to actually open your mouth and "experience" the eating of some food. Similarly, we can only learn about religious experience by recounting the experiences of those who've done some profound religious eating (so to say). This is James' method. He renounces the ambition to be coercive in his arguments (this is not an apologetic work) and simply focuses on "rehabilitating the element of feeling in religion and subordinating its intellectual part." He does this by the examination of diverse case histories.

And he uses the "extremer examples" because these yield the profounder information. He called these types "theopathic" characters; those who tend to display excess of devotion. His reasoning is thus: "To learn the secrets of any science, we go to expert specialists, even though they may be eccentric persons, and not to commonplace pupils. We combine what they tell us with the rest of our wisdom, and form our final judgment independently."

Concerning this "final judgment" I found the following principle in the lecture entitled "Mysticism" to be particular liberating. As regards the extremely theopathic: "No authority emanates from them which should make it a duty for those who stand outside of them to accept their revelations uncritically." A good word to hide in your heart against the next time some well-intentioned saint feels that their eccentricities should be yours.

To be honest, I found the lecture entitled "Philosophy" to be fairly technical and daunting, but such criticism I charge to my own lack of knowledge in this area rather than to any deficiency in the book itself. Upon closing its covers, I was a satiated bee. The book is total nectar.

Coming from an essentially secular upbringing, I thought religion was something I should learn about as part of a well-rounded liberal arts education. This book helped me to see that religion might also have something to say to me personally (as did Thomas Merton's "The Seven Storey Mountain").

"Varieties" is a wonderfully written exploration of the psychology of individual religious experience--whether within or without organized religion--by one of America's greatest philosophers and psychologists. It includes lots of interesting case studies and lots of insight. Major topics: conversion, saintliness, mysticism, and James's illuminating distinction between "healthy-minded" religion and that of the "sick soul." Fun fact: the panicky, melancholic "Frenchman" near the end of the "Sick Soul" section is actually William James. Also noteworthy: this book was an important influence on "Bill W.," co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

(Another book I highly recommend on the psychology of religion: Gerald May's "Will and Spirit: A Contemplative Psychology.")

This is a classic work explaining in a remarkably objective manner the many varieties and possibilities of religious experience. It well avoids the common trap of falling into a polemic either for or against religion; nor does it become a tract supporting Protestantism over Catholicism or vice-verse; or even Christianity over Islam or vice-versa. The book is extremely well-reasoned and liberally dosed with examples of the extremes of religiousity. These extremes not only make for entertaining reading, but James argues that we can learn more from the people who have felt the religious impulse strongly than we can from those who neatly fit religion into their otherwise secular lives. An over-weaning theme of the book is James's respect for the individual's experience of religion. As a result, this is not a book about the varieties of religions, as it does not compare Protestantism and Christianity; nor Judaism and Buddhism, or any other forms of established religion. In fact, in his chapter about mysticism, he argues that the established religions customarily treat mystics and mysticisms as heretics and heresy. Mysticism then either succumbs or successfully survives to either break off to become its own established religion or becomes absorbed into an established religion. By the time that has happened the individual aspects of mysticism are lost and are replaced by still further dogma.

This book should really have been titled "The Varieties of Christian Religious Experience," for it is only for Christianity (and to some extent Judaism) that James is well-versed enough to give a thorough examination. It is not that he does not respect Islam or Buddhism; it is that he doesn't know them well enough to draw them fully into the discussion.

To call "Varieties of Religious Experience" a classic is an understatement. What I find really amazing is that it was written in 1902. James was first known for his work with "functionalism" in psychology, essentially making him the first modern psychologist --- moving psychology away from the realm of philosophy. Thus, we have psychology becoming an empirical science. The empirical methodology was used to explore items of interest in psychology and religion.

Many books on religion express an interest in religion from the point of view of a theologian or person who studies religion from the point of view of religious institutions. To many people, religion means different things. It could be from the point of view of a "born-again Christian," or it could be from a more personal point of view. We come to see religion as an existential phenomenon. We learn that it is an incredibly personal relation between the individual and his concept of the Divine. There is a definite emphasis on the personal aspects of religion.

With experimental psychology, we deal in matters that are seen and are easily quantifiable. In the psychology of religion, we deal with how the individual deals with the reality of the unseen. We have a feeling of the presence of God. Some people can feel a mystical experience, whereas others have a more rational approach. People experience the divine in different manners - on the one hand, it can be impersonal and transcendental, and on the other hand it can be solemn, personal, and passionate. The religious tell us that religion can have the result of "healthy mindedness" -- in fact, it leads to a systematic sense of "healthy mindedness" diverting our attention from disease and death. This is more than just "faith healing," but rather a prescription for a life of action. It leads to practical effectiveness. Another area of interest is sin and the "sick soul", and the healthy effects of "redemption." Other areas of interest are conversion, religious "back-sliding," saintliness and living the good life, empiricism and skepticism, mysticism and philosophy, and aspects of religious worship service.

I found that this book should have interest not just to students of the psychology of religion. It also has appeal to the religious, and those who want to find out more about the religious experience from a point of view that is a different from the views expressed in Church and Sunday School. The point of view is one that will appeal both to religious conservatives and to religious liberals. Its presentation is sensitive and logical. For some people, it may even produce the "aha!" response that they are now seeing religion with greater perspective. (This is a review of the paperback edition.)

As mentioned in one of the editorial reviews, it has been said that Henry James wrote his novels as philosophical treatises while his brother William wrote his philosophical works as novels. This 1902 publication is justifiably considered as one of the 20th century's most influential books on psychology and spirituality.

James considers the feelings, actions and experiences of individuals, insofar as they understand themselves to be in a relationship with whatever they consuider the divine. It is thus about the religion of everyday life and has nothing to do with churches and dogma.

He writes objectively about a wide spectrum of religious experiences and quotes from the autobiographical writings of famous mystics from many traditions and of people like Whitman, Luther, Voltaire, Emerson, Tolstoy and many others. No religions are compared, only the experiences of the individual, and his arguments are well-reasoned.

In his own words: "Both thought and feeling are determinants of conduct, and the same conduct may be determined either by feeling or thought. When we survey the whole field of religion, we find a great variety in the thoughts that have prevailed there; but the feelings on the one hand and the conduct on the other are almost always the same, for Stoic, Christian and Buddhist saints are practically indistinguishable in their lives. The theories which religion generates, being thus variable, are secondary. If you wish to grasp its essence, you must look to the feelings and the conduct as being the more constant elements."

This book is a treasure trove of insights and collected wisdom that simultaneously serves as a trenchant plea for religious tolerance. And yes, it does sometimes read like a gripping novel, especially the chapters on the religion of healthy-mindedness, the sick soul, and mysticism.

The reader should be patient though. Although it is not a difficult text to grasp, every sentence is loaded with so much meaning that one has to return regularly to previous paragraphs in order to fully understand and process the arguments and insights. A thorough, patient study of the text will richly reward the reader.

An even more rewarding experience can be had by studying Richard Maurice Bucke's "Cosmic Consciousness" and Stephan A. Hoeller's "The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead" at the same time. These three classic works complement one another in a most marvelous way.

This edition (Modern Library, 1999, 640 pp.) of James' classic is fine, contrary to the review from "a reader" (Washington, D.C.). That reviewer is apparently criticizing a different edition, "William James and The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Centenary Celebration" (Hardcover) (edited by J. Carrette, published by Routledge in 2005). At 272 pages, the Routledge edition is seriously abridged. The Washington, D.C. reviewer's assessment of the Routledge edition may be entirely correct; however, it should have been appended to that edition's Amazon.com web page, instead of this one (i.e., the Modern Library edition). Misplaced here, it could easily confuse would-be purchasers.

A timeless and proufound book! Whatever you believe, there is much to be had in the Varieties. James weaves through the experiences of many different individuals, clarifying and illuminating both their inner and practical meaning. Decidedly, the book focuses on mystics, gnostics, the extremely devout and the chronically depressed at the exclusion of more mundane religious experiences. A very interesting bunch. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the book: One of the depressed characters James mentions is none other than James himself! Similar to his father, Henry Sr., William had a psychological breakdown at about the age of thirty. As James describes it in his memoirs and letters, the nature of the breakdown was such that he had lost faith in free-will. As he asks in his psychology, are we merely automaton slaves to our underlying biology, or do we have the ability to act independently and free? A quagmire any relentless self-examining philosopher could get hung up on. And James was just that - relentless in self-examination. Indeed, his quest for the truth was epic. You can never go wrong reading anything he wrote. Always well-thought-out, clear and penetrating. This man illuminates everything he touches.

For years, I have seen this book referenced by other authors and was curious to read the original. I'm wading through James' early twentieth century prose now, and it's worth the effort. He builds his case masterfully, with an attention to detail and logic that refreshes someone raised in an age of sound bites. And many of his ideas about the mystical experience seem to have caused echoes in contemporary works by michael rich and Caroline Myss, to name two. It's definitely worth the effort to bridge the generation gap.