Psychological and mystical interpretations of early Quakerism: William James and Rufus Jones

William James' discussion of early Quakerism profoundly affected subsequent interpretations of the group by the prominent scholar and Quaker writer, Rufus Jones. Jones utilized James as a major exponent of the divine origins of George Fox's doctrinal beliefs and social protests. The major claims of James and Jones, however, are not sustained by more recent critical scholarship on Quakerism's early days. By examining and refuting these claims, this article argues that interpretations of Quakerism (and by extension, of other religious collectivities) should be based primarily upon historically grounded, social-psychological frameworks.     

William James: a contradiction.

The author describes a contradiction in William James's Principles of Psychology and traces some of its consequences. In particular, he calls attention to the question of dating certain aspects of this work, and to the ambivalence toward Helmholtz expressed therein.     

Being one with the spirit: dimensions of a mystical experience

Mystical experience has intrigued both religious and non-religious persons for centuries. Several elements of mystical experience have been identified by scholars of the psychology of religion. This essay explores those critical elements and appropriates them in developing a theological anthropology. This understanding is expanded using the framework of the mystic, Howard Thurman, who argued that true mysticism leads to responsible action. Together these components form the basis for a pastoral theological framework for mystical experience.     

In the Spirit of William James

In this essay, I identify several ways in which James Dittes extended the spirit of William James in his writings on psychology of religion. Like James, Dittes gave minimal attention to psychological theory and God-talk. Both authors located their reflections on religion within a philosophical, as well as a psychological, perspective. Both employed a discourse that was personalist, pluralist, and pragmatist. In the last section, I briefly note some of the ways in which Dittes moved beyond William James in the spirit of William James.     

The morality of faith in Martin Buber and William James

Some philosophers have become atheists because of “intellectual probity.” Martin Buber relates two occasions during which he advocated his view of the term “God” and rejected alternative perspectives. He never justified the basis for either his advocacy or his rejection, yet both play an important role in all his writing, especially his specific type of Zionism. Using what has been called the mere theism of William James’ “The Will to Believe” and the criteria for faith that James advances in that essay illuminates both Buber’s general view of the divine and more particularly his Zionism. Once Buber, no less than James, is understood as a mere theist the basis of what he accepts and what he rejects as true religion becomes clearer. Buber’s theism meets James’ requirement of being a live, forced, momentous option and his Zionism also strives to meet those standards.     

The Feminist Pacifism of William James and Mary Whiton Calkins

In this paper, I accompany William James (1842–1910) and Mary Whiton Calkins (1863–1930) in the steps each takes toward his or her respective proposal of a moral equivalent of war. I demonstrate the influence of James upon Calkins, suggesting that the two share overlapping formulations of the problem and offer closely related—but significantly different—solutions. I suggest that Calkins's pacifistic proposal is an extension of that of her teacher—a feminist interpretation of his psychological and moral thought as brought to bear on the problem of war. Calkins's brand of pacifism widens the scope of James's “moral equivalent of war” in a way that is consonant with feminist ideals of inclusiveness and social justice. I conclude by commenting on how James's and Calkins's pacifism can continue to be extended fruitfully in contemporary feminist pacifist theory and practice.     

Reaching beyond Uncle William: a century of William James in theory and in life

During the hundred years since his death, James's works have developed a reputation for literary flair and personal appeal, but also for inconsistency and lack of rigor; this has contributed to more admiration than influence. He had a talent rare among intellectuals for popularization of complex ideas. Meanwhile, his difficult coming of age and his compelling personality have contributed to an iconic status as a kind of uncle figure in philosophy, psychology, religious studies, and more fields that he influenced, and in American intellectual life in general, rather than as a major philosopher and scholar. Often reflecting these ways of depicting James, his biographies have gone through three phases: in the early-to-middle twentieth century, emphasis on his development of theories as solutions to personal problems; since the 1960s, increased scrutiny of deep troubles in his private life; and recently renewed attention to intellectual factors especially as amplified by greater appreciation of James's theories in the last generation. Now, with so much knowledge and insight achieved for understanding his personal life and his contributions to many fields, a next frontier for biographical work will be in synthesis of these strands of the life of William James. Recent and prospective work offers the promise of finding deeper meaning and implications in his work beyond, and even through, his informal style, and with integration of his apparent inconsistencies.