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.

A compelling collection of the life-changing writings of William James

William James--psychologist, philosopher, and spiritual seeker--is one of those rare writers who can speak directly and powerfully to anyone about life's meaning and worth, and whose ideas change not only how people think but how they live. The thinker who helped found the philosophy of pragmatism and inspire Alcoholics Anonymous, James famously asked, is life worth living? Bringing together many of his best and most popular essays, talks, and other writings, this anthology presents James's answer to that and other existential questions, in his own unique manner--caring, humorous, eloquent, incisive, humble, and forever on the trail of the ever not quite.

Here we meet a James perfectly attuned to the concerns of today--one who argues for human freedom, articulates a healthy-minded psychology, urges us to explore the stream of consciousness, presents a new definition of truth based on its practical consequences, and never forecloses the possibility of mystical transcendence. Introduced by John Kaag and Jonathan van Belle, these compelling and accessible selections reveal why James is one of the great guides to the business of living.

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time

The Varieties of Religious Experience was an immediate bestseller upon its publication in June 1902. Reflecting the pluralistic views of psychologist turned philosopher William James, it posits that individual religious experiences, rather than the tenets of organized religions, form the backbone of religious life. James's discussion of conversion, repentance, mysticism, and hope of reward and fears of punishment in the hereafter--as well as his observations on the religious experiences of such diverse thinkers as Voltaire, Emerson, Luther, and others--all support his thesis. Walter Houston Clark in Psychology Today deemed it the most notable of all books in the field of the psychology of religion.

The Varieties of Religious Experience is William James's classic survey of religious belief. With psychological insight and philosophical rigor, James wrote a truly foundational text for modern belief. Matthew Bradley's wide-ranging new edition--the most critically up-to-date and inclusive edition of James's masterpiece available in paperback--showcases ideas that continue to fuel modern debates on atheism and faith. His introduction stresses the book's significance in the relationship between religion and culture, discusses its ideas and their contemporary interest, and places the book within James's biographical, intellectual, and literary background. The explanatory notes identify key figures and contexts, and provide links with James's other work.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

A compelling collection of the life-changing writings of William James

William James--psychologist, philosopher, and spiritual seeker--is one of those rare writers who can speak directly and powerfully to anyone about life's meaning and worth, and whose ideas change not only how people think but how they live. The thinker who helped found the philosophy of pragmatism and inspire Alcoholics Anonymous, James famously asked, is life worth living? Bringing together many of his best and most popular essays, talks, and other writings, this anthology presents James's answer to that and other existential questions, in his own unique manner--caring, humorous, eloquent, incisive, humble, and forever on the trail of the ever not quite.

Here we meet a James perfectly attuned to the concerns of today--one who argues for human freedom, articulates a healthy-minded psychology, urges us to explore the stream of consciousness, presents a new definition of truth based on its practical consequences, and never forecloses the possibility of mystical transcendence. Introduced by John Kaag and Jonathan van Belle, these compelling and accessible selections reveal why James is one of the great guides to the business of living.

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature is a book by Harvard University psychologist and philosopher William James. It comprises his edited Gifford Lectures on natural theology, which were delivered at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland between 1901 and 1902. The lectures concerned the psychological study of individual private religious experiences and mysticism, and used a range of examples to identify commonalities in religious experiences across traditions.

Soon after its publication, Varieties entered the Western canon of psychology and philosophy and has remained in print for over a century.

James later developed his philosophy of pragmatism. There are many overlapping ideas in Varieties and his 1907 book Pragmatism.[2]

For the psychologist, standard reading, to all readers, a classic of interpretation. -- Psychiatric Quarterly
This is the first inexpensive edition of the complete Long Course in Principles of Psychology, one of the great classics of modern Western literature and science and the source of the ripest thoughts of America's most important philosopher. As such, it should not be confused with the many abridgements that omit key sections.
The book presents lucid descriptions of human mental activity, with detailed considerations of the stream of thought, consciousness, time perception, memory, imagination, emotions, reason, abnormal phenomena, and similar topics. In its course it takes into account the work of Berkeley, Binet, Bradley, Darwin, Descartes, Fechner, Galton, Green, Helmholtz, Herbart, Hume, Janet, Kant, Lange, Lotze, Locke, Mill, Royce, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Wundt, and scores of others. It examines contrasting interpretations of mental phenomena, treating introspective analysis, philosophical interpretations, and experimental research.
Although the book originally appeared nearly 75 years ago, it remains unsurpassed today as a brilliantly written survey of William James' timeless view of psychology.
Rereading James brings a sense of perspective and even a little humility to our regard for more modern achievements. -- Journal of Consulting Psychology

The pragmatic method is primarily a method of settling metaphysical disputes that otherwise might be interminable. Is the world one or many?-fated or free?-material or spiritual?-here are notions either of which may or may not hold good of the world; and disputes over such notions are unending. The pragmatic method in such cases is to try to interpret each notion by tracing its respective practical consequences. What difference would it practically make to anyone if this notion rather than that notion were true? If no practical difference whatever can be traced, then the alternatives mean practically the same thing, and all dispute is idle. Whenever a dispute is serious, we ought to be able to show some practical difference that must follow from one side or the other's being right. Newly designed and typeset by Waking Lion Press.

A profoundly influential figure in American psychology, William James (1842-1910) was also a philosopher of note, who used Charles S. Peirce's theories of pragmatism as a basis for his own conception of that influential philosophy. For James, this meant an emphasis on radical empiricism and the concept that the meaning of any idea -- philosophical, political, social, or otherwise -- has validity only in terms of its experiential and practical consequences.
James propounded his theories of pragmatism in this book, one of the most important in American philosophy. In a sense, he wished to test competing systems of thought in the marketplace of actual experience to determine their validity, i.e. whether adopting a particular philosophical theory or way of looking at the world makes an actual difference in individual conduct or in how we perceive and react to the varieties of experience. In these pages, James not only makes a strong case for his own ideas, but mounts a powerful attack against the transcendental and rationalist tradition.
For anyone interested in William James or the history of American philosophical thought, Pragmatism is an essential and thought provoking reference. In this handy, inexpensive edition, it will challenge and stimulate any thinking person.

This is the first inexpensive edition of the complete Long Course in Principles of Psychology, one of the great classics of modern Western literature and science and the source of the ripest thoughts of America's most important philosopher. As such, it should not be confused with the many abridgements that omit key sections.
The book presents lucid descriptions of human mental activity, with detailed considerations of the stream of thought, consciousness, time perception, memory, imagination, emotions, reason, abnormal phenomena, and similar topics. In its course it takes into account the work of Berkeley, Binet, Bradley, Darwin, Descartes, Fechner, Galton, Green, Helmholtz, Herbart, Hume, Janet, Kant, Lange, Lotze, Locke, Mill, Royce, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Wundt, and scores of others. It examines contrasting interpretations of mental phenomena, treating introspective analysis, philosophical interpretations, and experimental research.
Although the book originally appeared nearly 75 years ago, it remains unsurpassed today as a brilliantly written survey of William James' timeless view of psychology.

The Varieties of Religious Experience came about as the result of William James' legendary lecture series at The University of Edinburgh. In this series, James examines in detail the nature of religion, expanding on pragmatism in the process. As part of the canon of modern philosophy and psychology, these lectures are both classic and relevant. (This text refers to a previous edition.)

If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, you mustn't seek to show that no crows are; it is enough if you prove one single crow to be white.

William James (1842-1910) was a leading figure in Western psychology, philosophy, and psychical research. While there is an inextricable relationship between the various strands of James's work, his psychical research has been unfairly neglected in favor of classics such as The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience. Read in light of one another, however, James's mainstream writings can be seen as efforts to make philosophical, metaphysical, and psychological sense of his psychical research.

Mind Dust and White Crows bridges the illusory divide, placing James's widely accepted works on mystical experience, theories of the soul, immortality, and metaphysics alongside his key writings on mediumship, telepathy, possession and other areas of psychical research. The result is a more integrated picture of James's spiritually-minded writings, transcending the disciplinary stigmas so often imposed on them. Interestingly, some of James's ideas seem to align with current interpretations of the soul and extended consciousness as derived from quantum physics.

This volume includes many rare articles, including material that has not been previously published in book form. Andreas Sommer's introduction - written especially for this volume - highlights the importance of James's work to the history and development of psychical research.

El tomo primero de Las variedades de la Experiencia Religiosa nos dej en estado de expectaci n: cu les pueden ser, para la vida, los frutos de las impresionantes conversaciones que hemos o do? Con esta pregunta abrimos este segundo tomo; como recordar n no s lo comenzaremos esta investigaci n empirica para iniciar un cap tulo curiroso en la historia natural de la conciencia humana, sino para adquirir un juicio espiritual respecto del valor total y significado posititvo del problema religioso en su totalidad. Esta segunda parte deber a de ser la m s agradable de nuestro trabajo. Es cierto que algunas peque as porciones pueden ser dolorosas o incluso mostrar la naturaleza humana bajo una luz pat tica, pero resultar fundamentalmente agradable porque los mejores frutos de la Experienci Religiosa constituyen el cap tulo m s gratificante que la historia puede exhibir. Siempre han sido considerados as , y alguna parte existente, aqu anida la vida ardua, y evocar una sucesi n de ejemplos, como ultimamente he tenido que aducir, aunque sencillamete los haya le do, es sentirse animado, estimulado y limpio hacia una atm sfera moral mejor.

2016 Reprint of 1900 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This book is divided into two sections: On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings and What Makes a Life Significant. The author tries to demonstrate how soaked and shot-through life is with values and meanings which we fail to realize because of our external and insensible point of view. The meanings are there for the others, but they are not there for us. There lies more than a mere interest of curious speculation in understanding this. It has the most tremendous practical importance. It is the basis of all our tolerance, social, religious, and political.

Brother of novelist Henry James and godson of eminent philosopher, essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James earned his own reputation for the monumental contributions he made in the field of Psychology. Here in his most comprehensive work on psychology, Principles of Psychology, we find a textbook which took James twelve years to complete, and which is still prevalent in the contemporary study of psychology. James' writings were influenced by Charles Darwin's ideas about adaptive evolutionary change, philosophical pragmatism, and various German psychologists who focused on the study of psychological processes. This work delves into James' assumption that developmental processes involve an interaction of nature and nurture, a view that almost all contemporary developmental psychologists hold. His fundamental theories on brain processes and abstract thought, behavioral tendencies and states of consciousness, all of which he presented a decade before Sigmund Freud, have become integral to the framework of modern social psychology. Originally published in two volumes in 1890, the complete Principles of Psychology is collected together here in one volume. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Is Life Worth Living? is a tiny book about some of life's big questions. How do you find meaning in your life? Why do people fall into despair and depression? And how can these feelings be overcome? Almost fifty years before Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, William James discovers that feelings of pessimism and melancholy can be defeated through the power of action and struggle, and that life's meaning is created through your own actions.

First published in 1905, The Varieties of Religious Experience is a collection of lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in 1901 and 1902. William James was a psychologist, and as such, his interest in religion was not that of a theologian but of a scientist. In these twenty lectures, he discusses the nature and origin of religious belief. The average believer is one who has inherited his religion, but this will not do for James's inquiry. He must find those believers who have a voracious religious faith, because these people have also often experienced a number of peculiar psychological episodes, including having visions, hearing voices, and falling into trances. Students of psychology and those interested in the mental process of belief will find these lectures informative. American psychologist and philosopher WILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910), brother of novelist Henry James, was a groundbreaking researcher at Harvard University and one of the most popular thinkers of the 19th century. Among his many works are Principles of Psychology (1890) and Human Immortality (1898).

The Dilemma of Determinism is a philosophical book written by William James. The book explores the debate between free will and determinism, which has been a topic of discussion amongst philosophers for centuries. James examines the arguments for both sides and provides his own insights into the dilemma. He discusses the implications of determinism on morality, responsibility, and personal agency. James argues that while determinism may seem to undermine free will, it is still possible for individuals to make choices and act freely. The book is written in a clear and accessible style, making it suitable for both scholars and general readers interested in the topic of free will and determinism. The Dilemma of Determinism is a seminal work in the field of philosophy and continues to be studied and debated by scholars today.THIS 46 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, by William James. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766174417.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

The writings of William James represent one of America's most original contributions to the history of ideas. Ranging from philosophy and psychology to religion and politics, James composed the most engaging formulation of American pragmatism. 'Pragmatism' grew out of a set of lectures and the full text is included here along with 'The Meaning of Truth', 'Psychology', 'The Will to Believe', and 'Talks to Teachers on Psychology'.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.