William James and a Science of Religions: Reexperiencing The Varieties of Religious Experience

by Wayne Proudfoot (Editor)

Overview

The "science of religion" is an important element in the interpretation of William James's work and in the methodology of the study of religion. An authority on pragmatism and the philosophy of religion, Wayne Proudfoot and a stellar group of contributors from a variety of disciplines including religion, philosophy, psychology, and history, bring innovative perspectives to James's work. Each contributor focuses on a specific theme in The Varieties of Religious Experience and suggests how James's treatment of that theme can fruitfully be brought to bear, sometimes with revisions or extensions, on current debate about religious experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231506946
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	08/04/2004
Series:	Columbia Series in Science and Religion
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Wayne Proudfoot is professor of religion at Columbia University. His books include God and Self and Religious Experience. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

"Damned for God's Glory": William James and the Scientific Vindication of Protestant Culture, by David A. Hollinger
Pragmatism and "an Unseen Order" in Varieties, by Wayne Proudfoot
The Fragmentation of Consciousness and The Varieties of Religious Experience: William James's Contribution to a Theory of Religion, by Ann Taves
James's Varieties and the "New" Constructivism, by Jerome Bruner
Some Inconsistencies in James's Varieties, by Richard Rorty
A Pragmatist's Progress: The Varieties of James's Strategies for Defending Religion, by Philip Kitcher

What People are Saying About This

David Lamberth

The attention to explanation, naturalism, and the science of religions approach are important to James interpretation and to philosophical discussions of pragmatism, as well as methodology in the study of religion. This book will become a necessary reference for future treatments of Varieties and James's work overall.

— David Lamberth, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University

Jeffrey Stout

This book is indispensable for anyone who wants to keep abreast of the best recent work on William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience. The contributors could hardly be more eminent, and the essays they have written for this volume could hardly be more thoughtful and provocative.

— Jeffrey Stout, Princeton University

Editorial Reviews

His admirers are always inspired... to contribute to the larger whole by putting their highest... and most profound thoughts forward.

Religious Studies - Eugene Taylor

William James is honored in this volume of critical essays celebrating the importance and impact ofThe Varieties of Religious Experience.

From the Publisher

His admirers are always inspired... to contribute to the larger whole by putting their highest... and most profound thoughts forward.

— Eugene Taylor

Religious Studies