Staff Pick
Are you curious about the psychology of conversions? Looking for a defense of spiritual or metaphysical pluralism? Do you consider yourself more or less an empiricist? Read this book. William James, philosopher and psychologist, writes in rigorous and vigorous prose while masterfully mixing psychology, history, religious anthropology, and more into one of the few truly open-hearted and welcoming works of modern philosophy. Recommended By Jonathan V. B., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
First published in 1903, William James's Varieties of Religious Experience remains a crucial text in American intellectual history and one of the most widely read books on religion and religious experience. In this abridged edition, Robert H. Abzug offers James's key insights in a concise and accessible format. Abzug's introduction offers background on James and situates his work within the context of late nineteenth and early twentieth century intellectual currents, including psychology and philosophy. In addition, it shows how James sought to reconcile religion and science by psychologically interpreting the experience of religious states of mind while validating what he called "the reality of the unseen." A chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography further enrich students' understanding.
Synopsis
In this abridged version of the famous 1903 text, Varieties of Religious Experience attempts to reconcile religion and science. A new introduction helps situate the work within the context of late nineteenth and early twentieth century intellectual currents, including psychology and philosophy for clearer comprehension.
About the Author
Robert H. Abzug (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) is Professor of History and American Studies, Audre and Bernard Rapoport Regents Chair of Jewish Studies, and founding director of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His research and teaching interests focus on American cultural history, history of psychology and religion, and the history of the Holocaust. His major publications include Cosmos Crumbling: American Reform and the Religious Imagination; Inside the Vicious Heart: Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps; and Passionate Liberator: Theodore Dwight Weld and the Dilemma of Reform.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
PART ONE. Introduction: William James and the Reality of the Unseen
Historical and Biographical Perspective
William James between the Worlds of Religion and Science
Religious and Other Abnormal Experiences
The Gifford Lectures
Beyond Edinburgh
PART TWO. The Document: The Varieties of Religious Experience
Lecture I: Religion and Neurology
Lecture II: Circumscription of the Topic
Lecture III: The Reality of the Unseen
Lectures IV and V: The Religion of Healthy Mindedness
Lectures VI and VII: The Sick Soul
Lecture VIII: The Divided Self, and the Process of its Unification
Lecture IX: Conversion
Lecture X: Conversion - Concluded
Lectures XI, XII, and XIII: Saintliness
Lectures XIV and XV: The Value of Saintliness
Lectures XVI and XVII: Mysticism
Lecture XVIII: Philosophy
Lecture XIX: Other Characteristics
Lecture XX: Conclusions
APPENDIXES
A William James Chronology (1842-1910)
Questions for Consideration
Selected Bibliography
Index