William James

James' core ideas:

• William James (1842-1910) was a philosopher and psychologist who was also trained as a physician 
• Religious experience= the heart of religion/central to religion
• Religious techings/practises/attitudes= 'second hand religion'
• James analysed religious experience through first hand accounts
• He took an objective stance and looked purely at th evidence to make his conclusions

Pint:

• James came up with four criteria which he believed defined religious experiences:
• P- Passive- not initiated by the recipient/a sense of something outside of them acting upon them/no control over it
• I- Ineffable…