The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature

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William James was a member of the generation that founded American psychology and philosophy; his work in both these fields placed James in the forefront of the intellectual and cultural ferment that marked late 19th century America. In this classic work, he turned his attention to the psychology of religion. He examines such phenomena as conversion, repentance, mysticism, and saintliness; his observations and theoretical speculation are accompanied by personal accounts of religious experience. James believed that organized religion stifled the natural religious impulse; his belief in personal experience as the only true source of religious feeling led to a remarkable tolerance for extreme forms of religious behavior.

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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.