The Varieties of Religious Experience [Paperback]

William James (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0980060540 | ISBN-13: 978-0980060546 | Publication Date: September 16, 2008

The Varieties of Religious Experience came about as the result of William James's legendary lecture series at The University of Edinburgh. It consisted of 20 Lectures, 2 courses of 10 lectures each. In this series, James examines in detail the nature of religion, expanding on pragmatism in the process. As part of the canon of modern philosophy and psychology, these lectures are both classic and relevant.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Megalodon Entertainment LLC. (September 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980060540
• ISBN-13: 978-0980060546
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening, November 15, 2008

By 

Carol Flynn - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Varieties of Religious Experience (Paperback)

I actually had to buy this book for a college class so I wasn't expecting to enjoy it too much. Required reading often bores me to tears. But this book actually held my interest from start to finish. Studying the common threads between religion in different cultures was interesting. It's hard to believe this book was not written recently. Of all the required reading I've had to do in college this book had the greatest effect on me.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), January 31, 2009

By 

Dr. Greg (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Varieties of Religious Experience (Paperback)

William James approaches the topic of this book as philosopher and experimental psychologist. Conversion, repentance, mysticism, hopes of reward and fears of punishment in the hereafter are studied with boldness, sympathy and the unbiased common sense of science. The result is a book that has become a living force in religious literature and has continued to sustain James's fame as one of the world's greatest philosophers. If you want a great overview of the religious experience in all its forms and practices, this book is for you.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Religion and Psychology, April 24, 2010

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Varieties of Religious Experience (Paperback)

This remarkable work remains one of the most influential books on the interface of psychology and spirituality. The style is accessible and consistently interesting with well-reasoned arguments. Religions are not compared; the study is restricted to the experiences of the individual. The field of study is clearly defined and circumscribed. Chapter titles include Religion & Neurology, the Reality of the Unseen, the Religion of Healthy-Mindedness, the Sick Soul, the Divided Self & the Process of Unification, Conversion, Saintliness, Mysticism and Philosophy.

James considers the feelings, actions and experiences of individuals, insofar as they understand themselves to be in a relationship with whatever they consider the Divine. It thus deals with the spirituality of everyday life and has nothing to do with churches, doctrine or dogma. This is similar to what emerges when Geza Vermes explores the Authentic Gospel of Jesus; there's very little on doctrine but much about attitudes, relationships and behavior towards others.

Dealing objectively with a wide spectrum of observed and personally related religious experiences, James quotes from the autobiographical writings of famous authors, theologians and mystics from many traditions including Whitman, Luther, Voltaire, Emerson and Tolstoy. He mentions the importance of the passionate side of religion and its power of adding enchantment to life. Although it is not a difficult read, patience is called for since every sentence is loaded with multiple layers of meaning; one often has to reread a previous paragraph in order to fully grasp and properly process the insights and information. A mindful, meditative study of the text will richly reward the reader.

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."

As a comprehensive & thorough survey it offers valuable insights, revelations and points to ponder that contribute significantly to the reader's understanding of consciousness, psychological processes, mystic states, thought, emotion and the individual's relationship with the Eternal Divine. Simultaneously serving as a trenchant plea for religious tolerance, it sometimes read like a gripping novel, especially the chapters on the religion of healthy-mindedness, the sick soul, and mysticism.

Other works on psychology, religion and/or spirituality that I have found inspiring or informative are The Creative Process in the Individual by Thomas Troward, Religion in the Making by Alfred North Whitehead, The Hidden Power of the Bible by Ernest Holmes, Alter Your Life by Emmet Fox, Cracking the Bible Code by Jeffrey Satinover and above all, A Psychology of Hope by Kaplan and Schwarz.