The Religious Investigations of William James

The Religious Investigations of William James PDF

Author: Henry Samuel Levinson

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2016-08-01

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 1469610167

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In this first detailed examination of Varieties of Religious Experience, Levinson locates James securely in the academic study of religion, demonstrates James's debts to Darwin, and reconstructs the case for the supernatural that James thought so critical to his work. The author discusses the contribution that these religious interests made to James's later work and to the shaping of his theories of pragmatism and radical empiricism. Originally published 1981. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

Submitting to Freedom

Submitting to Freedom PDF

Author: Bennett Ramsey

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1993-01-14

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 0195360761

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Ramsey presents a new analysis and interpretation of the religious views of the nineteenth-century American philosopher William James. He argues that James was primarily motivated by religious concerns in his writings and that this fact has been obscured by the artificial scholarly division of his "philosophy," "psychology," and "religion"--a symptom of the professionalization which James himself strenuously resisted in his own time. Ramsey believes that James is best understood in his historical context, as a representative of a society and culture struggling to come to terms with modernity. Much of James's religious work is a direct reflection of what has been called "the spiritual crisis of the Gilded Age," a crisis which Ramsey examines in illuminating detail. James's religious vision, in Ramsey's view, hinges on the recognition and acceptance of "contingency"--the knowledge that we are at the mercy of change and chance. With so little else to rely on, James believed, people must learn to submit freely and responsibly into one another's care. Ramsey reintroduces James's thought into the contemporary discussion, and puts forward the kind of religious alternative that James was pointing to in his work: not worship, but acquiescence in a world of mutual relations; not obedience to authority, but conversion to the freedom of responsibility.

William James and a Science of Religions

William James and a Science of Religions PDF

Author: Wayne Proudfoot

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2004-08-04

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 0231506945

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The "science of religion" is an important element in the interpretation of William James's work and in the methodology of the study of religion. An authority on pragmatism and the philosophy of religion, Wayne Proudfoot and a stellar group of contributors from a variety of disciplines including religion, philosophy, psychology, and history, bring innovative perspectives to James's work. Each contributor focuses on a specific theme in The Varieties of Religious Experience and suggests how James's treatment of that theme can fruitfully be brought to bear, sometimes with revisions or extensions, on current debate about religious experience.

SELECTED WORK OF WILLIAM JAMES (MEMORIES AND STUDIES/THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: A STUDY IN HUMAN NATURE) (SET OF 2 BOOKS) VOL 1

SELECTED WORK OF WILLIAM JAMES (MEMORIES AND STUDIES/THE VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: A STUDY IN HUMAN NATURE) (SET OF 2 BOOKS) VOL 1 PDF

Author: William James

Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan

Published: 2022-06-06

Total Pages: 920

ISBN-13:

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Selected Work of William James (Memories and Studies/ The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature) (Set of 2 Books) Vol 1 by William James: Memories and Studies: Delve into the mind of the renowned philosopher and psychologist William James as he reflects on his memories and intellectual pursuits. This collection offers a glimpse into the personal experiences and intellectual journey of one of the most influential thinkers of his time. The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature: In this seminal work, William James explores the diversity of religious experiences across cultures and individuals. Through his insightful analysis, James provides a nuanced understanding of the psychological and philosophical aspects of religious beliefs and practices. This set of two books by William James showcases the breadth and depth of his intellectual contributions. From introspective reflections to groundbreaking studies on human nature and religious experiences, James's work continues to resonate with readers and scholars alike. Whether you are interested in the exploration of personal memories and thoughts or seeking a profound understanding of religious experiences, this collection promises to enrich your intellectual journey. Experience the brilliance of William James's mind through "Memories and Studies" and "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature."

William James and the Metaphysics of Experience

William James and the Metaphysics of Experience PDF

Author: David C. Lamberth

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-05-20

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1139425404

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William James is frequently considered one of America's most important philosophers, as well as a foundational thinker for the study of religion. Despite his reputation as the founder of pragmatism, he is rarely considered a serious philosopher or religious thinker. In this new interpretation David Lamberth argues that James's major contribution was to develop a systematic metaphysics of experience integrally related to his developing pluralistic and social religious ideas. Lamberth systematically interprets James's radically empiricist world-view and argues for an early dating (1895) for his commitment to the metaphysics of radical empiricism. He offers a close reading of Varieties of Religious Experience; and concludes by connecting James's ideas about experience, pluralism and truth to current debates in philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and theology, suggesting James's functional, experiential metaphysics as a conceptual aid in bridging the social and interpretive with the immediate and concrete while avoiding naive realism.

Knowledge and Reference in Empirical Science

Knowledge and Reference in Empirical Science PDF

Author: Jody Azzouni

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-04-15

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1134593430

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Knowledge and Reference in Empirical Science is a fascinating study of the bounds between science and language: in what sense, and of what, does science provide knowledge? Is science an instrument only distantly related to what's real? Can the language of science be used to adequately describe the truth? In this book, Jody Azziouni investigates the technology of science - the actual forging and exploiting of causal links, between ourselves and what we endeavor to know and understand.

Varieties of Religion Today

Varieties of Religion Today PDF

Author: Charles Taylor

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2003-11-30

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9780674012530

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A hundred years after William James delivered the celebrated lectures that became The Varieties of Religious Experience, one of the foremost thinkers in the English-speaking world returns to the questions posed in James's masterpiece to clarify the circumstances and conditions of religion in our day. An elegant mix of the philosophy and sociology of religion, Charles Taylor's powerful book maintains a clear perspective on James's work in its historical and cultural contexts, while casting a new and revealing light upon the present. Lucid, readable, and dense with ideas that promise to transform current debates about religion and secularism, Varieties of Religion Today is much more than a revisiting of James's classic. Rather, it places James's analysis of religious experience and the dilemmas of doubt and belief in an unfamiliar but illuminating context, namely the social horizon in which questions of religion come to be presented to individuals in the first place. Taylor begins with questions about the way in which James conceives his subject, and shows how these questions arise out of different ways of understanding religion that confronted one another in James's time and continue to do so today. Evaluating James's treatment of the ethics of belief, he goes on to develop an innovative and provocative reading of the public and cultural conditions in which questions of belief or unbelief are perceived to be individual questions. What emerges is a remarkable and penetrating view of the relation between religion and social order and, ultimately, of what "religion" means.