The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature (Penguin American Library)

James, William; Marty, Martin E. [Editor]; Marty, Martin E. [Introduction];

ISBN 10: 0140390340 / ISBN 13: 9780140390346

Published by Penguin Classics, 1982

About this Item

Softcover. Good binding and cover. Light marks.

Seller Inventory # 2112160111

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature (Penguin American Library)
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication Date: 1982
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140390340
• ISBN 13: 9780140390346
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 14 ounces
• Seller catalogs:
  • Religion and Theology

About this title

Synopsis

Standing at the crossroads of psychology and religion, this catalyzing work applied the scientific method to a field abounding in abstract theory. William James believed that individual religious experiences, rather than the precepts of organized religions, were the backbone of the world's religious life. His discussions of conversion, repentance, mysticism and saintliness, and his observations on actual, personal religious experiences - all support this thesis. In his introduction, Martin E. Marty discusses how James's pluralistic view of religion led to his remarkable tolerance of extreme forms of religious behaviour, his challenging, highly original theories, and his welcome lack of pretension in all of his observations on the individual and the divine.

About the Author

Older brother of novelist Henry James, William James (1842-1910) was a philosopher, psychologist, physiologist, and professor at Harvard. James has influenced such twentieth-century thinkers as Richard Rorty, Jurgen Habermans, Michel Foucault, and Julia Kristeva.