The Varieties of Religious Experience

By: William James

Narrated by: John Pruden

First published in 1905, The Varieties of Religious Experience is a collection of lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in 1901 and 1902. William James was a psychologist and, as such, his interest in religion was not that of a theologian but of a scientist. In these 20 lectures, he discusses the nature and origin of religious belief.

The average believer is one who has inherited his religion, but this will not do for James's inquiry. He must find those believers who have a voracious religious faith because these people have also often experienced a number of peculiar psychological episodes, including having visions, hearing voices, and falling into trances.

Students of psychology and those interested in the mental process of belief will find these lectures informative.

Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor

A Unique, Empathetic Inquiry

This is a book I will undoubtedly come back to over and over throughout my life. I loved his scientific treatment of the subject and loved his willingness to admit what we just don't know.

Understanding Religious Experience

This book contains lectures given by William James in Scotland in which he examines diverse religious experiences in search of their meaning. The lectures formed a systematic work and are written in a clear way. James’s conception of pragmatism - the emphasis in the experimental method and the idea of meaning that dismiss hard/dogmatic truth - influences the exposition. The lectures deal with many personal expositions of religious experiences - the ways in which they are exposed and their meanings for each and everyone involved. James gives his analysis of these various episodes and tries to elaborate a grand narrative. In search of understanding, one finds tolerance toward the diverse religious attitudes. A book worth reading (listening).

A book about everyone else’s experiences

Thought it would apply beliefs to theories and do a compare and contrast, he just shared other people’s experiences. Meh.

I wasn't religious, and I still am not

I liked the book, and the stories in it were quite fun and interesting. The points of views expressed were thought provoking, although not all that convincing due to my own high preconseptions about religion in general(mainly that I think it's all horseshit gathered together to hold masses of idiots from anarchy).
Still gives a person a perspectives that you hadn't necessarily considered or even thought of before.
Don't overlook this book just because you have an atheist overview on life.

A series of lectures easier to understand by the ear than the eye

I have tried to get through this book in paperback form for decades, and was always stymied by the vocabulary and interwoven concepts. To listen to these lectures out loud, as they were first presented, brings the poetry and multi dimensional experience of William James’ Philosophy to life more than a century after pen was first put to paper. I highly recommend this for anyone on the spiritual journey.