The Varieties of Religious Experience

The life of American philosopher William James (1842–1910), a leading representative of pragmatism and functionalism—often called the “father of modern psychology”—was not especially eventful, except for the fact that he was twice honored with the opportunity to lead the American Psychological Association, founded at Harvard the first laboratory of applied psychology in the United States, where he taught without interruption, and in his later years became interested in spiritualism. But after the death of the great scholar, adventures began for his theories: they were either refuted and toppled, or raised again to the pedestal, or simply conveniently forgotten—only to return to them decades later.

“Varieties of Religious Experience” is one of James’s most well-known works. In it, he focuses on the psychological dimension of religious and mystical experiences, sharply distinguishes the psychological nature of philosophical experience from its philosophical significance, and points to the need to separate the practical value of a religious phenomenon from the question of its origin. He rejects the idea of science’s superiority over religion, insisting on their separate and incomparable value, and creates a true classification of the most significant traits of religious life—from the priority of the believer’s spiritual world over the visible, to the believer’s confidence in salvation.