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The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature is a book by Harvard University psychologist and philosopher William James.It comprises his edited Gifford Lectures on natural theology, which were delivered at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland between 1901 and 1902.
The notion of "religious experience" can be traced back to William James, who used the term "religious experience" in his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience. [15] It is considered to be the classic work in the field, and references to James' ideas are common at professional conferences.
William James provided a description of mystical experience in his famous collection of lectures published in 1902 as The Varieties of Religious Experience. [62] He posits four criteria as "sufficient to mark out a group of states of consciousness" which may be called the "mystical group."
He conducted surveys of religious belief and conversion using questionnaires along with G. Stanley Hall at Clark University and published several papers of his findings. He later published the book Psychology of Religion (1899) and also contributed to the work of William James' Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). [2]
The doctrine James developed in his "The Will to Believe" lecture was later extended by his protégé F. C. S. Schiller in his lengthy essay "Axioms as Postulates". In this work, Schiller downplays the connection between James' doctrine and religious positions like God and immortality.
James' notions of "spiritual experience" had a further influence on the modernist streams in Asian traditions, making them even further recognisable for a western audience. [36] William James popularized the use of the term "religious experience" in his The Varieties of Religious Experience. [135]
William James popularized the use of the term "religious experience" in his The Varieties of Religious Experience. [36] [31] James wrote: In mystic states we both become one with the Absolute and we become aware of our oneness. This is the everlasting and triumphant mystical tradition, hardly altered by differences of clime or creed.
Generally, acts of overbelief are justified on emotional need or faith, and a need to make sense of spiritual experience, rather than on empirical evidence. This idea originates from the works of William James in The Varieties of Religious Experience [3] and refers to the conceptual framework that individuals have.