The Varieties of Religious Experiences, written by William James in 1902 is a widely renowned classic book.
It covers a wide range of different topics. How do we define evil? What is evil? How is the difference between a mind that is well and a mind that is not well defined?
It examines religious beliefs, looks at how our religious beliefs are view not only by ourselves but by other people, too.
He drew on several wells for this seminal work, philosophy and psychology and also on the great body of work that made up literature until the very last part of the 19th century.
He examines saints and sinners, looks at the works of people who have claimed to be prophetic and of others who served as their scholars or acolytes.
It is an extremely interesting and captivating book, remarkable easy to read. The introduction and notes, by the editor of this edition, Matthew Bradley, are of considerable benefit to the reader.
It is published by the OUP in paperback at £10.99.
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
I have a couple of James's books on my kindle. M Scott Peck also discusses the problem of evil in his book People of the Lie. Very provocative reading.
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