The Varieties of Religious Experience (Penguin Classics)

A hundred years after its first publication, James' "Varieties of Religious Experience" is still probably the best place to start a study of the psychology of religion. Based on lectures delivered at Edinburgh in 1901-2, it is supplemented with an astonishing wealth of extracts from religious writings. Although understandably biased toward Western, specifically Christian traditions, it is breathtaking in its scope. Nowhere else will you find such a wide ranging and thorough survey of all those experiences and attitudes - mystical, emotional, ethical, visionary - that we term 'religious'. You will never get around to reading all of the authors quoted in this book, so this is the place to sample them.

Some readers will approach this work as believers seeking clarification, others as sceptics seeking to understand. Their viewpoint may be philosophical or theological or psychological. All will be rewarded. Critics voted this among the best 100 books of the twentieth century. If you want insight into humanity's religious dimension, it should be your number one choice.

Masterwork of Psychology and Spirituality (14/20 people found this helpful)

It has been said that Henry James wrote his novels as philosophical treatises while his brother William wrote his philosophical works as novels. This book, originally published in 1902 may be considered one of the 20th century's most influential books on both 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 consider 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. Thought and feeling are determinants of conduct; the same conduct may be determined either by feeling or by thought. When the entire field of religion is surveyed, we discover massive variety in the thoughts that have prevailed there; but the feelings and the conduct are nearly always the same for Christian, Moslem and Buddhist saints are practically indistinguishable in their lives. The theories which religion generates are secondary. If one desires to understand its essence, one must look to the feelings and the behaviour 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 properly 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, Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy: An Introduction to the Spiritual Processes in Human Life and in the Cosmos and Stephan A. Hoeller's The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead at the same time. These four classic works complement one another in a most marvellous way.

Treasure trove of insights & wisdom (19/24 people found this helpful)

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.

a book that will change your life (29/32 people found this helpful)

Don't let the title of this serious looking book put you off- this book could change your life. William James is a hypnotic writer, his thought-provoking words truly enter the heart and soul of the reader. His psychological descriptions of events such as an alcoholic's 'moment of clarity' are truly poignant without sentimentality. James does not force the reader to chose between the religious or psychological explanations for the mysteries of life, but simply explains how our experiences shape our views. Essential reading for the thinker - this book will stay with you forever.

The Varieties of Religious Experience (Penguin Classics)

William James

Reader Reviews:

A Classic Worthy of the Word (40/40 people found this helpful)

Masterwork of Psychology and Spirituality (14/20 people found this helpful)

Treasure trove of insights & wisdom (19/24 people found this helpful)

a book that will change your life (29/32 people found this helpful)

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