“To plead the organic causation of a religious state of mind, then, in refutation of its claim to possess superior spiritual value, is quite illogical and arbitrary, unless one have already worked out in advance some psycho-physical theory connecting spiritual values in general with determinate sorts of physiological change. Otherwise none of our thoughts and feelings, not even our scientific doctrines, not even our dis -beliefs, could retain any value as revelations of the truth, for every one of them without exception flows from the state of their possessor's body at the time.”
Quote by William James
Work
The Varieties of Religious Experience
This seminal work delves into the profound and varied ways individuals have experienced the divine, the sacred, and the transcendent, offering insights into the nature of religion and spirituality. more
Author
William James
William James, born on January 11, 1842, and died on August 26, 1910, was an influential American philosopher, psychologist, and writer. He is considered one of the founders of functionalism in psychology and has had a profound impact on the fields of psychology, philosophy, and religion. more
You May Also Like
Source: The Varieties of Religious Experience
Source: The William James Reader
Source: Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals
“So our self-feeling in this world depends entirely on what we back ourselves to be and do.”
Source: The Principles of Psychology
Source: The Will to Believe: And Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, and Human Immortality
“Everything which is demanded is by that fact a good.”
Source: William James: Essays and Lectures
“The trail of the human serpent is thus over everything.”
Source: Pragmatism: Human Understanding
Source: Essays in Philosophy