About this title: The persistence throughout history of intense religious experiences testifies to its importance in understanding human nature. In examining phenomena such as case histories of religious conversions, the lives of saints, the mystical experiences of "cosmic consciousness," and reincarnation, James makes a case for the existence of real power or powers external to particular consciousnesses. He argues that due to the incommensurable variety of these experiences, no specific meaning can be attached to them that could support any one established religion over any other.
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Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Touchstone
Date Published: 1997-04-01
ISBN-13:9780684842974ISBN:0684842971
Description: Good. Every heavytail order includes with a sweet! We carefully hand clean and reinspect each and every item we ship. Our quality control process ensures items to be in the condition described or better. Heavytail is determined to earn your repeat business through old fashioned customer service. We love international orders. read more
Description: Good. 0743257871 Book could have a shelf wear, or a bump, or sunfade to edges. These are new unread books from the publisher with one of these conditions. See are feedback as customers are satisfied in how we grade our books. Has remainder mark. Fast shipping and customer service is our number 1 priority! read more
Description: Fine. 1573929816 *THE BOOK IS NEW AND NEVER READ, HOWEVER THERE MAY BE SOME LIGHT SHELF-WEAR ON THE COVER, A SMALL TEAR OR CREASE, BUT THE INSIDE OF THE BOOK IS IN GOOD CONDITION. read more
Edition: Illustrated.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Modern Library
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780679640110ISBN:0679640118
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Pages are tanning. Has a crease at the spine after the fourth page. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 640 p. Contains: Illustrations. Modern Library (Paperback). Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: Recent Printing
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Modern Library, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780679640110ISBN:0679640118
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. A very good paperback copy, seemingly unread and almost like new. The binding is solid and there are no reading creases in the spine. The cover shows virtually no wear. The text is clean and unmarked. ---------------------------------------- book consists of twenty lectures James delivered for a course on "Man's Religious Appetites. " James was, of course, a renowned psychologist and philosopher, but his treatment of religion here is anything but abstract, for ... read more
Well it took me almost this entire year to read (off-on-img amongst the other 40 books I've read thus far), and these last few lectures were quite the pay-off. The one on Mysticism was amazing, and the Philosophy one was quite profound. I guess by the time it gets to his conclusions its pretty settled in to saying everything you'd think it was saying (maybe it was the old-timeyness but I sorta saw the whole pro-religion angle coming, no surprise) (and I pretty much agree, albeit I definitely feel more oustider-ish like he describes those who study and don't feel/experience it firsthand) (which actually I kinda do... I dunno) (I loved the section he quoted about the utility of God trumping other theological concerns, that's very fascinating as I've always felt that just never thought of it in that way). Anyways, great book!
10/16: Whooooooooooooa!!! The "Mysticism" lecture is amazing! If I knew about it when I started, I would've skipped right to it (and/or it's great stand-alone reading for anyone not into committing to this dense book), and gone back as it now illuminates everything else in the book - wow!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Written from the perspective of a "supernaturalist" -that is, someone who believes in some kind of ideal or transcendent reality beyond nature- but not specifically associated with any religion or philosophy other than Pragmatism, James is a fascinating read, well worth the few hours it takes to go through the work. Though his conclusions are superficial (the common ground of all religions is that they all identify a need, and offer a solution), his method and discussion is worth the effort. James gives countless stories he's heard (Irving Babbitt reportedly said that the book should have been called "Weird Religions I've Heard About"), and then tries to draw common themes from them all, while asking questions like "does religion make any practical difference in the world?" and "what is the relationship between the subconscious mind and God?""
"A true classic of religious scholarship and psychology that is both relevant and readable. James explores many psychological and philosophical characteristics of the religious experience, and shows at least some of its variety in terms of its extreme and benign forms.
This leaves us with an essential account of what religion truly means and the way in which it is or can be intertwined with social, political and other factors. It lets us unravel such threads in an effective way, and shows us that religion in its essence is not the cause behind all the world's evil and/or good. Rather, religion is a fundamental dimension of consciousness that is relevant to many people, of various backgrounds.
It's difficult to give a good impression of a book like this in a bite-size review. Let me just say that it is one I would recommend to anyone who is willing to take a serious look at religion as a human phenomenon, without passing judgement beforehand."
"A very practical and non-judgmental approach to personal religious experience. I wish his attitude were more common in this supposedly religiously tolerant country of ours. The only thing I bristled at was the way he looked down on "savage" religions. He obviously made no attempt to understand the personal experience of those following traditional African or Native American religious traditions. Or any others he would have considered savage."
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