The Varieties of Religious Experience revisited

The paper presents some of the main concepts of W. James' book The Varieties of Religious Experience: the very notion of religion; its link with a healthy mind and personality; religious conversion as personal rebirth. The book is placed in the context of its time, the beginning of the XXth century, when there is great interest in mysticism and religious feeling rather than in doctrine and creed. The influence of James book on later Psychology is also traced. To conclude, some of the challenges it poses for current theory and research are discussed.