Hearing Voices in The Varieties of Religious Experience
Journal of Speculative Philosophy April 1, 2025 DOI: 10.5325/jspecphil.39.2.0190 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractWilliam James's The Varieties of Religious Experience uses testimony not merely as evidence but as a pedagogical tool that transforms readers. The article argues that the book's style and structure are performative, multivocal, and creative, making it an experiment in teaching. This approach aligns Varieties with later liberatory educators like Paulo Freire and bell hooks, who similarly prioritize dialogic, transformative learning. The text suggests that James's method engages readers actively, inviting them into a process of personal reflection and growth rather than passive absorption of doctrine.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Philosophy Education |
| Key finding | The article argues that William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience functions as a performative, multivocal pedagogical experiment that anticipates liberatory education theories of Paulo Freire and bell hooks. |
Abstract
abstract:This article considers the role of testimony in William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience in order to highlight the unique style and structure of the text and its effect on readers. Understanding Varieties as a performative, multivocal, creative experiment in pedagogy and teaching puts the book in conversation with more contemporary theorists of liberatory education including Paulo Freire and bell hooks.