The Variety of Religious Experience. A Study of Human Nature

This edition includes the seminal work of American philosopher and psychologist William James (1842-1910) titled «The Variety of Religious Experience», which has long become a classic. Religion is examined by James not as a social institution, but primarily as a personal experience. He defines religion as «a sum of feelings, actions, and experiences of an individual, as their content establishes their relationship to what they regard as Divine», linking this with the thought of a «significant state of the soul» of a religious person. James meticulously studied numerous documentary sources, which allowed him to delve deeper into the value of holiness, explore the features of mysticism (such as ineffability, intuitive nature, brevity, and the passivity of will), investigate the phenomenon of religious conversion, which, in his opinion, is preceded by a lengthy preparation in the subconscious realms of psychic life, and present his own classification of religious personalities (once-born and twice-born), which remains relevant to this day. All this makes James's work valuable for religious scholars, philosophers, psychologists, cultural scientists, as well as anyone interested in the issues of religion.