Varieties of Religious Experience

I've been intending to read William James' classic The Varieties of Religious Experience at least since the summer of 2014 when a YouTube lecture first introduced me to him. Recently, I read D.W. Pasulka's American Cosmic, and her exploration of UFOlogy from a religious studies perspective reignited my interest in reading James' investigation of individual encounters with "the divine." So I cracked it open this last week.

What drives my interest in James' work? First, I like William James. His prose is beautiful, and he thinks with precision. I've been very influenced by his pragmatic philosophy, and I'm interested in exploring his thought further. Second, my own encounters with the feeling of divine inspiration leave me eternally curious about this phenomenon. I wonder what he, especially, thinks about this. I hope it will help inform my own views on the matter. Third, I'm interested in the history of social sciences, and this is a vital text in the history of religious studies. It's an important piece of intellectual history.

I'm going to try to blog regular, small thoughts about my reading starting with this book in the hope that it will help me discover what I want my writing practice to become.