James William - Varieties of Religious Experience

Project Gutenberg's The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James

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Title: The Varieties of Religious Experience

Author: William James

Posting Date: August 3, 2008 [EBook #621]Release Date: August, 1996

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE ***

Produced by Charles Keller.

A Study in Human Nature

To
E.P.G.
IN FILIAL GRATITUDE AND LOVE

Introduction: the course is not anthropological, but deals withpersonal documents Questions of fact and questions of value Inpoint of fact, the religious are often neurotic Criticism of medicalmaterialism, which condemns religion on that account Theory thatreligion has a sexual origin refuted All states of mind are neurallyconditioned Their significance must be tested not by their origin butby the value of their fruits Three criteria of value; origin uselessas a criterion Advantages of the psychopathic temperament when asuperior intellect goes with itespecially for the religious life.

Futility of simple definitions of religion No one specific "religioussentiment" Institutional and personal religion We confine ourselvesto the personal branch Definition of religion for the purpose ofthese lectures Meaning of the term "divine" The divine is whatprompts SOLEMN reactions Impossible to make our definitions sharpWe must study the more extreme cases Two ways of accepting theuniverse Religion is more enthusiastic than philosophy Itscharacteristic is enthusiasm in solemn emotion Its ability toovercome unhappiness Need of such a faculty from the biological pointof view.

Percepts versus abstract concepts Influence of the latter on beliefKant's theological Ideas We have a sense of reality other than thatgiven by the special senses Examples of "sense of presence" Thefeeling of unreality Sense of a divine presence: examples Mysticalexperiences: examples Other cases of sense of God's presenceConvincingness of unreasoned experience Inferiority of rationalism inestablishing belief Either enthusiasm or solemnity may preponderatein the religious attitude of individuals.

Happiness is man's chief concern "Once-born" and "twice-born"characters Walt Whitman Mixed nature of Greek feeling Systematichealthy-mindedness Its reasonableness Liberal Christianity showsit Optimism as encouraged by Popular Science The "Mind-cure"movement Its creed Cases Its doctrine of evil Its analogy toLutheran theology Salvation by relaxation Its methods: suggestionmeditation "recollection" verification Diversity of possibleschemes of adaptation to the universe APPENDIX: TWO mind-cure cases.

Healthy-mindedness and repentance Essential pluralism of thehealthy-minded philosophy Morbid-mindedness: its two degreesThepain-threshold varies in individuals Insecurity of natural goodsFailure, or vain success of every life Pessimism of all purenaturalism Hopelessness of Greek and Roman view Pathologicalunhappiness "Anhedonia" Querulous melancholy Vital zest is a puregift Loss of it makes physical world look different TolstoyBunyan Alline Morbid fear Such cases need a supernatural religionfor relief Antagonism of healthy-mindedness and morbidness Theproblem of evil cannot be escaped.

Heterogeneous personalityCharacter gradually attains unityExamplesof divided selfThe unity attained need not be religious"Counterconversion" casesOther casesGradual and suddenunificationTolstoy's recoveryBunyan's.

Case of Stephen BradleyThe psychology of character-changesEmotional excitements make new centres of personal energy Schematicways of representing this Starbuck likens conversion to normal moralripening Leuba's ideas Seemingly unconvertible persons Two typesof conversion Subconscious incubation of motives Self-surrenderIts importance in religious history Cases.

CONVERSIONconcluded

Cases of sudden conversion Is suddenness essential? No, it dependson psychological idiosyncrasy Proved existence of transmarginal, orsubliminal, consciousness "Automatisms" Instantaneous conversionsseem due to the possession of an active subconscious self by thesubject The value of conversion depends not on the process, but onthe fruits These are not superior in sudden conversion ProfessorCoe's views Sanctification as a result Our psychological accountdoes not exclude direct presence of the Deity Sense of highercontrol Relations of the emotional "faith-state" to intellectualbeliefs Leuba quoted Characteristics of the faith-state: sense oftruth; the world appears new Sensory and motor automatismsPermanency of conversions.

Sainte-Beuve on the State of Grace Types of character as due to thebalance of impulses and inhibitions Sovereign excitementsIrascibility Effects of higher excitement in general The saintlylife is ruled by spiritual excitement This may annul sensual impulsespermanently Probable subconscious influences involved Mechanicalscheme for representing permanent alteration in characterCharacteristics of saintliness Sense of reality of a higher powerPeace of mind, charity Equanimity, fortitude, etc. Connection ofthis with relaxation Purity of life Asceticism ObediencePoverty The sentiments of democracy and of humanity General effectsof higher excitements.

It must be tested by the human value of its fruits The reality of theGod must, however, also be judged "Unfit" religions get eliminated by"experience" Empiricism is not skepticism Individual and tribalreligion Loneliness of religious originators Corruption followssuccess Extravagances Excessive devoutness, as fanaticism Astheopathic absorption Excessive purity Excessive charity Theperfect man is adapted only to the perfect environment Saints areleavens Excesses of asceticism Asceticism symbolically stands forthe heroic life Militarism and voluntary poverty as possibleequivalents Pros and cons of the saintly character Saints versus"strong" men Their social function must be considered Abstractlythe saint is the highest type, but in the present environment it mayfail, so we make ourselves saints at our peril The question oftheological truth.

Mysticism defined Four marks of mystic states They form a distinctregion of consciousness Examples of their lower grades Mysticismand alcohol "The anaesthetic revelation" Religious mysticismAspects of Nature Consciousness of God "Cosmic consciousness"Yoga Buddhistic mysticism Sufism Christian mystics Their senseof revelation Tonic effects of mystic states They describe bynegatives Sense of union with the Absolute Mysticism and musicThree conclusions (1) Mystical states carry authority for him who hasthem (2) But for no one else (3) Nevertheless, they break down theexclusive authority of rationalistic states They strengthen monisticand optimistic hypotheses.