The Nature of Religious Experience in the Philosophy of William James The Nature of Religious Experience in the Philosophy of William James By Dr. Cholbhavat Borirakkucharoen* Abstract James’s interest in religion was in personal terms. The meaning and William James (1842-1910) was importance of his religious writings both a psychologist and philosopher can properly be understood only in the who has attained international light of his belief that the most fruitful reputation as America’s most original approach to religion is an empirical thinker. He aroused a public interest one. His pragmatic justification for in philosophy in general, and religious belief has often been pragmatism in particular. James challenged, on both ontological and rejected intellectualizing and moral grounds. Critics argue that theorizing about religion in favor of an James’s accounts of religious truth empirical approach and his task and its justification are perniciously became that of articulating the way in subjective. Nevertheless, once James’s which experience may justify religious conceptions of religious truth and beliefs. He was a pluralist in love with justification are understood in their variety and with his own religious full measure of depth, this charge can experience. be * The author has a Ph.D. in Philosophy, Assumption University of Thailand and a Master in Architecture from Chulalongkorn University. He studied in Massy University, New Zealand in its Executive MBA Program. Currently he is the President of the Evana Hotel and Life Resort, also President of the Jeannette World (Thailand) Co. Ltd. He is a former member of the Chon buri Chamber of Commerce ABAC Journal Vol. 23, No.2 (May - August, 2003), pp. 35 - 45 35 Dr. Cholbhavat Borirakkucharoen seen as misplaced. In this article, I psychological manifestation, according explore James’s philosophy of religion to Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Freud in a way that enables his views to be sees religion as a form of wish- understood and critiqued. fulfillment, and the dogmas of religion are illusions derived from deep and persistent wishes. Introduction James’s Concept of Religion In order to define the nature of religious experience, we should first James, in The Varieties of establish what religion is and what is Religious Experience, generally experience. The word religion does not considers religion only in its personal stand for any single principle or entity, aspect, believing that this is more and religion has many characters which fundamental than theological: may in turn be equally important. “Churches, when once established, live Philosophers have various views on at second hand upon tradition; but the ‘religion’, for example, Karl Marx founders of every church owed their (1818-1883), describes religion as an power originally to the fact of their ideological weapon of the ruling class direct personal communion with the which has a function that is harmful. divine. Not only the superhuman John Dewey (1859-1952) finds that founders, the Christ, the Buddha, religion has a valuable function in life. Mohammed, but all the originators of Therefore, any singular abstract religious sects have been in this case; so conception is misleading. personal religion should still seem the primordial thing, even to those who Instead of being seduced into the continue to esteem it incomplete” theorizing fallacy of seeking a (James,1958,p.30). definition as the key to the nature of religion, one should inquire into its The meaning of religion, as one various meanings in human experience. should generally understand it Hence, religion has its external aspects, throughout James’s writings, is worship, sacrifice, theology, described in the Varieties in the ceremonies, and ecclesiastical following practical terms: “Religion, organizations. It is also, in a more therefore, as I now ask you arbitrarily to personal way, the inner dispositions take it, shall mean for us the feelings, “which form the center of his interest, acts, and experiences of individual men his conscience, his helplessness, and his in their solitude, so far as they incompleteness” (James,1958,p.28). apprehend themselves to stand in Nevertheless, one might argue that relation to whatever they may consider religion is not religion but a the divine. Since the relation may be 36 The Nature of Religious Experience in the Philosophy of William James either moral, physical, or ritual, it is functioning of the sense-organs. That I evident that out of religion in the sense see and hear and taste is a in which we take it, theologies, commonplace of all experience, and I philosophies, and ecclesiastical may study what I see without effecting organizations may secondarily grow” any discontinuity in my practical or (James, 1958, p.31). scientific world of things. But to believe that what I see is constituted by my seeing of it, is to define a new General Concept of Experience realm, an anomalous science, and possibly a new philosophical method. Let us examine the term Such a belief must arise very early in “experience’. Everyone has had connection with illusory experiences. experiences of one sort or another. How then do we know what experience is and its derivation? Is there anything James’s Concept of Experience behind it and causing it to be as it is? Common sense tells us that we are in Experience, in James’s view, is all the universe and the experience of the that which exists is experience and universe is within. James in his experience is all that exists. There is no Psychology made it clear that our minds general stuff of which experience at are directly aware of reality. They do large is made. There are as many stuffs not handle offprint of something out as there are ‘natures’ in the things there. Objects are mainly perceived as experienced. Experience is only a independently of our thoughts. These collective name for all these sensible various notions do not hang together. natures. There appears no universal For instance, how the World Trade element of which all things are made. Center Twin Towers in New York City Before experience can be experienced, might look like after they were it must be attended to. James says : destroyed can be a mental construct of a previous recollection. “My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I Primitive experience is entirely notice shape my mind – without free from any general idea of the selective interest, experience is an utter dependence of objects upon the chaos. Interest alone gives accent knowing of them, there are certain and emphasis, light and shade, accepted cases in which an experience background and foreground – is definitely recognized as my intelligible perspective, in a world” experience, which is regarded as (James,1890, p.407). deriving existence from a for-me relation (Perry, 1904, p.43). This is a All our life is a mass of habits – very different idea from that of the practical, emotional, and intellectual – ABAC Journal Vol. 23, No.2 (May - August, 2003), pp. 35 - 45 37 Dr. Cholbhavat Borirakkucharoen systematically organized for our weal James’s Concept of Religious or woe, and bearing us irresistibly Experience toward our destiny, whatever it may be. A new habit is formed in three stages. Religious experience to which men First there must be need or desire. Then find themselves related in their one needs information: methods of religious acts and feelings may be any learning how to maintain the habit. One object that is godlike, whether it be a might read books, attend classes, and concrete deity or not. Religious consciously explore ways how others experience, according to James, refers have developed the desired habit. The to man’s total reaction upon life that last state is simple repetition; there must be something solemn, consciously doing exercise or actually serious, and tender about any attitude reading and speaking until the acts which we denominate as religious. If become usual and habitual glad, it must not grin or snicker; if sad, (Wulff,1997,p.484). For intellect there it must not scream. Where a religion are two levels of knowing: Knowing regards the world as tragic, the tragedy through direct experience and knowing must be understood as purging; through abstract reasoning. James calls religious sadness, wherever it exists, the first level “knowledge of that is, it must possess a purgatorial acquaintance.” It is sensory, intuitive, note (James, 1958, p.31). poetic, and emotional. “I know the color blue when I see it, and the flavor The nature of religious experience of time when I feel it pass…but about is mystical encounter. James suggests the inner nature of these facts or what that ‘mysticism’ can be construed in makes them what they are, I can say ways that accounted as much for nothing at all” The higher level of Buddhist and transcendentalist knowledge James calls “Knowledge- experience as for Christian phenomena, about.” It is intellectual, focused, and even though Buddhists and relational; it can develop abstractions; it transcendentalists do not positively is objective and unemotional. “When assume a God in the sense of a we know about it, we can do more than superhuman person (James,1958,p.31). merely have it; we think over its When persons encounter mysticism or relations, to subject it to a form of divinity, they transact with some treatment and operate upon it with our objects that order the world in a way thought. Through feelings we become that protects all ideal interests. A acquainted with things but only with or religious experience (sometimes it is thoughts do we know about them” difficult to distinguish neatly between (James,1890, p.221). “subject” and “object”) is an experience 38 The Nature of Religious Experience in the Philosophy of William James of first things in the way of being and power which overarches and envelops 3.