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 ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Mass Market
Publisher: The Fontana Library
Date Published: 1958
Description: Poor. 1958 Mass PB. The Fontana Library. Stated 1st Printing. 406 Pgs. Few pages with reader's marks mostly page 303 to end. Front cover with top corner crease. Spine with tears along edge bottom extending upward. Tanning. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Mentor, N. Y.
Date Published: 1958
Description: Cover Art. Reading Copy. No Jacket. Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Yellowing-----Reading copy rated from good to very fine.......We are very careful when we list our books, but sometimes something minor may get by. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. 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: Paperback
Publisher: Signet Classics
Date Published: 2003-03-04
ISBN-13:9780451528780ISBN:0451528786
Description: Good. Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket not necessarily included minimal wear to binding, majority of pages undamaged, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing p. read more
Description: Good. Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket not necessarily included minimal wear to binding, majority of pages undamaged, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing p. read more
Description: Good. Cover and pages clean, binding tight. Crease in front cover, light shelf wear. Ships within 24 hours of purchase, all items in stock! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Collier Macmillan Publishers, New York
Date Published: 1961
ISBN-13:9780020859604ISBN:0020859600
Description: Good. Former owners name written on the inside cover page. A nice, pocketbook style paperback edition in useful condition. Some shelf wear to the covers and the page edge. A bit of wrinkle mark to the spine. Slight tanning to the pages, this edition looks PRESENTABLE! read more
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Binding: Softcover--Good to Fair
Publisher: Mentor / NAL, New York
Date Published: 1958
Description: Good to Fair. No Jacket. Mass Market Nonfiction Philosophy: James' famous examination of religion and the religious in a well-worn mass market paperback edition. 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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