Embodiment, Divinity, and New Theological Directions in William James and Ralph Barton Perry
Religions January 10, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/rel17010079 via OpenAlex
Summary
William James attempted to reconcile empiricism with religion by advocating finite theism and a pluralistic cosmos with overlapping minds of various scales, while warning against replacing functional psychology with entitative perspectives. Ralph Barton Perry criticized James for underestimating the body's role in cognition, arguing that embodied minds are cognitively superior to social or composite minds due to their integration. Perry saw embodied cognition's emergent character as grounds for a humanistic spirituality. This article compares James and Perry on theology, arguing that Perry's emphasis on embodiment in cognitive integration illuminates a tripartite distinction between impersonal, subpersonal, and personal theologies, which scholars seeking more embodied theological approaches should consider.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Embodied cognition Theism Character mathematics Empiricism Humanism |
| Key finding | Perry's critique of James on embodiment helps distinguish impersonal, subpersonal, and personal theologies for more embodied theological approaches. |
Abstract
In his innovative and creative attempt to reconcile empiricism and religion, William James made the case for finite theism and a pluralistic conception of the cosmos involving overlapping minds of several scales. In doing so, James also cautioned against abandoning functional psychology in favor of what he called entitative points of view. In his work, Ralph Barton Perry critiqued James for understating the role of embodiment in cognition. In Perry’s view, the central role the body plays in cognition suggests that so-called social or composite minds lack integration and are thus cognitively inferior to embodied minds. However, Perry also believed that the emergent character of embodied cognition provides grounds for an alternative, humanistic spirituality. In this article, I compare James and Perry on theology, and I argue that Perry’s concerns about the importance of embodiment in cognitive integration help illuminate a tripartite distinction between what I call impersonal, subpersonal, and personal theologies that scholars looking for more embodied approaches to theology would do well to consider.