The Varieties of Religious Experience

Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James wrote The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. The edited Gifford Lectures on Natural Theology were given at Edinburgh University between 1901 and 1902. The lectures examined the psychology study of private religious experiences and mysticism, using a variety of cases to find parallels across faiths. Variety entered the Western psychology and philosophy canon soon after its publication, and it has remained in print for nearly a century. A pragmatic philosophy established subsequently by James. Varieties and his 1907 book Pragmatism share many themes.