Experiments with truth. A sociological variation on William James's Varieties of Religious Experience
Frédéric Vandenberghe
Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour March 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.12152 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that James's Varieties of Religious Experience functions as a pragmatic variation on Kant's proof of God's existence, using converts' personal accounts to show that "something" causally affects personal well-being. The author contends that a sociological reading is needed to foreground the social, cultural, and political aspects of religion that James's psychological approach leaves aside. |
Abstract
Abstract: William James's Varieties of Religious Experience is a classic psycho‐philosophical study of the experience of the sacred and of its practical effects on the ordinary life of extraordinary persons. In a pragmatic variation of Kant's proof of god's existence, James uses personal accounts of converts to empirically demonstrate that there's “something” that has causal effects on the well‐being of the person. While the article is largely sympathetic to James explorations of the mystical, it offers a sociological variation on the Varieties that foregrounds the social, cultural and political aspects of religion.