The　Varieties　of　Religious　Experience
  by　William　James
  A　Study　in　Human　Nature
  To
  E。P。G。
  IN　FILIAL　GRATITUDE　AND　LOVE
  THE　VARIETIES　OF　RELIGIOUS　EXPERIENCE
  Lecture　I
  RELIGION　AND　NEUROLOGY
  It　is　with　no　small　amount　of　trepidation　that　I　take　my　place
  behind　this　desk；　and　face　this　learned　audience。　　To　us
  Americans；　the　experience　of　receiving　instruction　from　the
  living　voice；　as　well　as　from　the　books；　of　European　scholars；　is
  very　familiar。　　At　my　own　University　of　Harvard；　not　a　winter
  passes　without　its　harvest；　large　or　small；　of　lectures　from
  Scottish；　English；　French；　or　German　representatives　of　the
  science　or　literature　of　their　respective　countries　whom　we　have
  either　induced　to　cross　the　ocean　to　address　us；　or　captured　on
  the　wing　as　they　were　visiting　our　land。　　It　seems　the　natural
  thing　for　us　to　listen　whilst　the　Europeans　talk。　　The　contrary
  habit；　of　talking　whilst　the　Europeans　listen；　we　have　not　yet
  acquired；　and　in　him　who　first　makes　the　adventure　it　begets　a
  certain　sense　of　apology　being　due　for　so　presumptuous　an　act。
  Particularly　must　this　be　the　case　on　a　soil　as　sacred　to　the
  American　imagination　as　that　of　Edinburgh。　　The　glories　of　the
  philosophic　chair　of　this　university　were　deeply　impressed　on　my
  imagination　in　boyhood。　　Professor　Fraser's　Essays　in　Philosophy；
  then　just　published；　was　the　first　philosophic　book　I　ever　looked
  into；　and　I　well　remember　the　awestruck　feeling　I　received　from
  the　account　of　Sir　William　Hamilton's　classroom　therein
  contained。　　Hamilton's　own　lectures　were　the　first　philosophic
  writings　I　ever　forced　myself　to　study；　and　after　that　I　was
  immersed　in　Dugald　Stewart　and　Thomas　Brown。　　Such　juvenile
  emotions　of　reverence　never　get　outgrown；　and　I　confess　that　to
  find　my　humble　self　promoted　from　my　native　wilderness　to　be
  actually　for　the　time　an　official　here；　and　transmuted　into　a
  colleague　of　these　illustrious　names；　carries　with　it　a　sense　of
  dreamland　quite　as　much　as　of　reality。
  But　since　I　have　received　the　honor　of　this　appointment　I　have
  felt　that　it　would　never　do　to　decline。　　The　academic　career　also
  has　its　heroic　obligations；　so　I　stand　here　without　further
  deprecatory　words。　　Let　me　say　only　this；　that　now　that　the
  current；　here　and　at　Aberdeen；　has　begun　to　run　from　west　to
  east；　I　hope　it　may　continue　to　do　so。　　As　the　years　go　by；　I
  hope　that　many　of　my　countrymen　may　be　asked　to　lecture　in　the
  Scottish　universities；　changing　places　with　Scotsmen　lecturing　in
  the　United　States；　I　hope　that　our　people　may　become　in　all　these
  higher　matters　even　as　one　people；　and　that　the　peculiar
  philosophic　temperament；　as　well　as　the　peculiar　political
  temperament；　that　goes　with　our　English　speech　may　more　and　more
  pervade　and　influence　the　world。
  As　regards　the　manner　in　which　I　shall　have　to　administer　this
  lectureship；　I　am　neither　a　theologian；　nor　a　scholar　learned　in
  the　history　of　religions；　nor　an　anthropologist。　　Psychology　is
  the　only　branch　of　learning　in　which　I　am　particularly　versed。
  To　the　psychologist　the　religious　propensities　of　man　must　be　at
  least　as　interesting　as　any　other　of　the　facts　pertaining　to　his
  mental　constitution。　　It　would　seem；　therefore；　that；　as　a
  psychologist；　the　natural　thing　for　me　would　be　to　invite　you　to
  a　descriptive　survey　of　those　religious　propensities。
  If　the　inquiry　be　psychological；　not　religious　institutions；　but
  rather　religious　feelings　and　religious　impulses　must　be　its
  subject；　and　I　must　confine　myself　to　those　more　developed
  subjective　phenomena　recorded　in　literature　produced　by
  articulate　and　fully　self…conscious　men；　in　works　of　piety　and
  autobiography。　　Interesting　as　the　origins　and　early　stages　of　a
  subject　always　are；　yet　when　one　seeks　earnestly　for　its　full
  significance；　one　must　always　look　to　its　more　completely　evolved
  and　perfect　forms。　　It　follows　from　this　that　the　documents　that
  will　most　concern　us　will　be　those　of　the　men　who　were　most
  accomplished　in　the　religious　life　and　best　able　to　give　an
  intelligible　account　of　their　ideas　and　motives。　　These　men；　of
  course；　are　either　comparatively　modern　writers；　or　else　such
  earlier　ones　as　have　become　religious　classics。　　The　documents
  humains　which　we　shall　find　most　instructive　need　not　then　be
  sought　for　in　the　haunts　of　special　eruditionthey　lie　along　the
  beaten　highway；　and　this　circumstance；　which　flows　so　naturally
  from　the　character　of　our　problem；　suits　admirably　also　your
  lecturer's　lack　of　special　theological　learning。　I　may　take
  my　citations；　my　sentences　and　paragraphs　of　personal　confession；
  from　books　that　most　of　you　at　some　time　will　have　had　already　in
  your　hands；　and　yet　this　will　be　no　detriment　to　the　value　of　my
  conclusions。　　It　is　true　that　some　more　adventurous　reader　and
  investigator；　lecturing　here　in　future；　may　unearth　from　the
  shelves　of　libraries　documents　that　will　make　a　more　delectable
  and　curious　entertainment　to　listen　to　than　mine。　　Yet　I　doubt
  whether　he　will　necessarily；　by　his　control　of　so　much　more
  out…of…the…way　material；　get　much　closer　to　the　essence　of　the
  matter　in　hand。
  The　question；　What　are　the　religious　propensities？　　and　the
  question；　What　is　their　philosophic　significance？　　are　two
  entirely　different　orders　of　question　from　the　logical　point　of
  view；　and；　as　a　failure　to　recognize　this　fact　distinctly　may
  breed　confusion；　I　wish　to　insist　upon　the　point　a　little　before
  we　enter　into　the　documents　and　materials　to　which　I　have
  referred。
  In　recent　books　on　logic；　distinction　is　made　between　two　orders
  of　inquiry　concerning　anything。　　First；　what　is　the　nature　of　it？
  how　did　it　come　about？　　what　is　its　constitution；　origin；　and
  history？　　And　second；　What　is　its　importance；　meaning；　or
  significance；　now　that　it　is　once　here？　The　answer　to　the　one
  question　is　given　in　an　existential　judgment　or　proposition。　　The
  answer　to　the　other　is　a　proposition　of　value；　what　the　Germans
  call　a　Werthurtheil；　or　what　we　may；　if　we　like；　denominate　a
  spiritual　judgment。　　Neither　judgment　can　be　deduced　immediately
  from　the　other。　　They　proceed　from　diverse　intellectual
  preoccupations；　and　the　mind　combines　them　only　by　making　them
  first　separately；　and　then　adding　them　together。
  In　the　matter　of　religions　it　is　particularly　easy　to　distinguish
  the　two　orders　of　question。　　Every　religious　phenomenon　has　its
  history　and　its　derivation　from　natural　antecedents。　　What　is
  nowadays　called　the　higher　criticism　of　the　Bible　is　only　a　study
  of　the　Bible　from　this　existential　point　of　view；　neglected　too
  much　by　the　earlier　church。　　Under　just　what　biographic
  conditions　did　the　sacred　writers　bring　forth　their　various
  contributions　to　the　holy　volume？　　And　what　had　they　exactly　in
  their　several　individual　minds；　when　they　delivered　their
  utterances？　　These　are　manifestly　questions　of　historical　fact；
  and　one　does　not　see　how　the　answer　to　them　can　decide　offhand
  the　still　further　question：　of　what　use　should　such　a　volume；
  with　its　manner　of　coming　into　existence　so　defined；　be　to　us　as
  a　guide　to　life　and　a　revelation？　　To　answer　this　other　question
  we　must　have　already　in　our　mind　some　sort　of　a　general　theory　as
  to　what　the　peculiarities　in　a　thing　should　be　which　give　it
  value　for　purposes　of　revelation；　and　this　theory　itself　would　be
  what　I　just　called　a　spiritual　judgment。　　Combining　it　with　our
  existential　judgment；　we　might　indeed　deduce　another　spiritual
  judgment　as　to　the　Bible's　worth。　　Thus　if　our　theory　of
  revelation…value　were　to　affirm　that　any　book；　to　possess　it；
  must　have　been　composed　automatically　or　not　by　the　free　caprice
  of　the　writer；　or　that　it　must　exhibit　no　scientific　and　historic
  errors　and　express　no　local　or　personal　passions；　the　Bible　would
  probably　fare　ill　at　our　hands。　　But　if；　on　the　other　hand；　our
  theory　should　allow　that　a　book　may　well　be　a　revelation　in　spite
  of　errors　and　passions　and　deliberate　human　composition；　if　only
  it　be　a　true　record　of　the　inner　experiences　of　great…souled
  persons　wrestling　with　the　crises　of　their　fate；　then　the　verdict
  would　be　much　more　favorable。　　You　see　that　the　existential　facts
  by　themselves　are　insufficient　for　determining　the　value；