William James

William James (January 11, 1842, New York–August 26, 1910, Chocorua, New Hampshire) was a pioneering psychologist and philosopher. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and the philosophy of pragmatism.

Philosophy of Religion

James also did important work in philosophy of religion. In his Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh he provided a wide-ranging account of The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) and interpreted them according to his pragmatic leanings. Some of the important claims he makes in this regard:

Related Topics:
Philosophy of religion - Gifford Lectures - University of Edinburgh - The Varieties of Religious Experience - 1902

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• Religious genius (experience) should be the primary topic in the study of religion, rather than religious institutions--since institutions are merely the social descendant of genius.
• The intense, even pathological varieties of experience (religious or otherwise) should be sought by psychologists, because they represent the closest thing to a microscope of the mind--that is, they show us in drastically enlarged form the normal processes of things.
• In order to usefully interpret the realm of common, shared experience and history, we must each make certain "over-beliefs" in things which, while they cannot be proven on the basis of experience, help us to live fuller and better lives.

The investigation of mystical experience was constant throughout the life of James, leading him to experiment with chloral hydrate (1870), amyl nitrate (1875), nitrous oxide (1882), and even peyote (1896). He concluded that while the revelations of the mystic hold true, they hold true only for the mystic; for others, they are certainly ideas to be considered, but can hold no claim to truth without personal experience of such.

Related Topics:
Mystic - Chloral hydrate - Amyl nitrate - Nitrous oxide - Peyote

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Quotes from The Varieties of Religious Experience

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The entire text online http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JamVari.html

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James' Subjective Effects of Nitrous Oxide

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