46 pages 1 hour read

William James

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1902

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Essay Topics

1.

What makes James’s approach different from the philosophical theories of his contemporaries? How has pragmatism influenced the fields of religious study?

2.

How does James use radical empiricism in The Varieties of Religious Experience? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach?

3.

What are the pragmatic functions of religion in an individual’s life? How does the utility of religion relate to James’s theories about morbid-minded and healthy-minded individuals?