Showing results for "The Varieties of Experience" in Politics & Social Sciences

This landmark work by William James remains one of the most insightful 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 the divine. It examines the religion of everyday life and has nothing to do with doctrine or dogma.

The Varieties of Religious Experience A Study in Human Nature is a groundbreaking work by Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James. Based on his captivating Gifford Lectures on Natural Theology delivered at the University of Edinburgh from 1901 to 1902, this book explores the essence of religion and critiques the lack of scientific inquiry in the academic study of faith. Since its release, it has become a cornerstone in both psychology and philosophy, remaining relevant and in print for over a century. (Summary by Wikipedia)

The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design.

First published in 1905, The Varieties of Religious Experience is a collection of lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in 1901 and 1902. William James was a psychologist and, as such, his interest in religion was not that of a theologian but of a scientist. In these 20 lectures, he discusses the nature and origin of religious belief. The average believer is one who has inherited his religion, but this will not do for James's inquiry.

The Varieties of Religious Experience is considered to be the classic work in the field. To quote Wikipedia, "James was most interested in understanding personal religious experience. The importance of James to the psychology of religion - and to psychology more generally - is difficult to overstate. He discussed many essential issues that remain of vital concern today. What makes James writing so special is that he could take a very complex subject and, without watering it down, make it understandable to 'the rest of us.'"

"Philosopher and psychologist William James championed the value of individual experience with an eloquence and zeal that places him beside Emerson and Whitman as a classic exponent of American democratic culture. Regarded by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr as “a milestone in religious thought,” The Varieties of Religious Experience takes on “the very inner citadel of human life” by focusing on intensely religious individuals from different cultures and eras, in order to explore from within how religion enriches human lives." -- Library of America