lecture01-第1章

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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；　and　the



best　adepts　of　the　higher　criticism　accordingly　never　confound



the　existential　with　the　spiritual　problem。　　With　the　same



conclusions　of　fact　before　them；　some　take　one　view；　and　some



another；　of　the　Bible's　value　as　a　revelation；　according　as　their



spiritual　judgment　as　to　the　foundation　of　values　differs。







I　make　these　general　remarks　about　the　two　sorts　of　judgment；



because　there　are　many　religious　personssome　of　you　now



present；　possibly；　are　among　themwho　do　not　yet　make　a　working



use　of　the　distinction；　and　who　may　therefore　feel　first　a　little



startled　at　the　purely　existential　point　of　view　from　which　in



the　following　lectures　the　phenomena　of　religious　experience　must



be　considered。　　When　I　handle　them　biologically　and



psychologically　as　if　they　were　mere　curious　facts　of　individual



history；　some　of　you　may　think　it　a　degradation　of　so　sublime　a



subject；　and　may　even　suspect　me；　until　my　purpose　gets　more



fully　expressed；　of　deliberately　seeking　to　discredit　the



religious　side　of　life。







Such　a　result　is　of　course　absolutely　alien　to　my　intention；　and



since　such　a　prejudice　on　your　part　would　seriously　obstruct　the



due　effect　of　much　of　what　I　have　to　relate；　I　will　devote　a　few



more　words　to　the　point。







There　can　be　no　doubt　that　as　a　matter　of　fact　a　religious　life；



exclusively　pursued；　does　tend　to　make　the　person　exceptional　and



eccentric。　　I　speak　not　now　of　your　ordinary　religious　believer；



who　follows　the　conventional　observances　of　his　country；　whether



it　be　Buddhist；　Christian；　or　Mohammedan。　　His　religion　has　been



made　for　him　by　others；　communicated　to　him　by　tradition；



determined　to　fixed　forms　by　imitation；　and　retained　by　habit。　



It　would　profit　us　little　to　study　this　second…hand　religious



life。　　We　must　make　search　rather　for　the　original　experiences