A hundred years after William James delivered the celebrated lectures that became The Varieties of Religious Experience, one of the foremost thinkers in the English-speaking world returns to the questions posed in James's masterpiece to clarify the circumstances and conditions of religion in our day. An elegant mix of the philosophy and sociology of religion, Charles Taylor's powerful book maintains a clear perspective on James's work in its historical and cultural contexts, while casting a new and revealing light upon the present. Lucid, readable, and dense with ideas that promise to transform current debates about religion and secularism, Varieties of Religion Today is much more than a revisiting of James's classic. Rather, it places James's analysis of religious experience and the dilemmas of doubt and belief in an unfamiliar but illuminating context, namely the social horizon in which questions of religion come to be presented to individuals in the first place. Taylor begins with questions about the way in which James conceives his subject, and shows how these questions arise out of different ways of understanding religion that confronted one another in James's time and continue to do so today. Evaluating James's treatment of the ethics of belief, he goes on to develop an innovative and provocative reading of the public and cultural conditions in which questions of belief or unbelief are perceived to be individual questions. What emerges is a remarkable and penetrating view of the relation between religion and social order and, ultimately, of what "religion" means.

"Introduces students to key concepts in religious studies through a compelling problem-solving framework. This new textbook features the following: dynamic case studies opening each chapter that teach critical thinking skills and engage students in contemporary religious issues such as the intersection of science and religion; a wide range of examples from world religions throughout the text; clear introductions to classic and contemporary theories of religion, both Eastern and Western; [and] chapter summaries that include essential concepts, a list of key terms, and questions for individual reflection or class discussion. Religion today guides students in understanding the complex role that religion plays in the world, while also building a solid foundation in both religious studies and problem-solving skills"--

Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature explores the nature of religion and, in James' observation, its divorce from science when studied academically. After publication in 1902 it quickly became a canonical text of philosophy and psychology, remaining in print through the entire century. "Scientific theories are organically conditioned just as much as religious emotions are; and if we only knew the facts intimately enough, we should doubtless see 'the liver' determining the dicta of the sturdy atheist as decisively as it does those of the Methodist under conviction anxious about his soul. When it alters in one way the blood that percolates it, we get the Methodist, when in another way, we get the atheist form of mind."

"In 1980, Varieties of Civil Religion was the latest statement in the field of civil religion pioneered by Robert Bellah. Over thirty years later, scholarly interest in the field continues to grow. By examining the force of religion in politics and society, this book offers a comparative treatment that deepens the understanding of American civil religion and provides a lens for exploring civil religion in other societies, particularly those of Italy, Mexico, and Japan. Bellah and Hammond trace the historical development of the peculiarly American brand of civil religion as they unravel its sometimes baffling intricacies. Themes include the conviction that America is a chosen country and American power in the world is identical with divine will. The book also examines the vigorous counterbalance that has opposed unjust wars or demanded racial and social justice. Altogether, the health of a civil religion may be a prime indication of the overall health of any society. The authors state that when civil religious symbols are co-opted by ultraconservatives, and the philosophy of liberalism seems less adequate as a guide for public or private lives, a revival of public philosophy is urgently needed. Varieties of Civil Religion supports such a revival by making the religious aspect of our central tradition understandable in a nonreactionary way. It also reaffirms that American civil religion, with its deeper tradition of openness, tolerance, and ethical commitment, can make an essential contribution to a ""global order of civility and justice."""

William James published his classic work on the psychology of religion, "The Varieties of Religious Experience", in 1902. To mark the centenary, leading contemporary scholars reflect on changes in our understanding of the questions James addressed.

Negli ultimi anni si è sovente parlato di de-secolarizzazione. Al tempo stesso, tuttavia, non si è mai spenta la voce di chi afferma che la modernità ha inaugurato un'epoca in cui la religione è in via di estinzione e la secolarizzazione ha vinto la partita della storia. Se così fosse, un libro sullo 'spazio religioso’ sarebbe poco più che un testo su un tema di nicchia. C’è da chiedersi, tuttavia: lo 'spazio religioso' può davvero considerarsi scisso e categoricamente distinguibile dallo spazio in generale? Le città europee sono state storicamente costruite intorno a una chiesa collocata accanto alla sede del governo, generando a sua volta lo ‘spazio' della piazza pubblica principale. Nella maggior parte dei siti urbani, questa distribuzione topografica urbana permane, e l’Italia costituisce, da questo punto di vista un esempio paradigmatico. Proprio in Italia, i conflitti sull’utilizzo delle chiese cattoliche in disuso, sulle comunità musulmane che necessitano di spazi per la preghiera, sugli spazi interreligiosi e sul connesso uso dello spazio urbano nel suo complesso, riflettono preoccupazioni pressanti su come vivere le nostre città, sempre più plurali, e su come definire i confini tra la libertà degli uni e la libertà degli altri. Su questo terreno di scontro entra in gioco il diritto, che regola lo spazio e tutte le pratiche che si svolgono al suo interno. La ‘liturgia’, intesa attraverso la sua radice etimologica di ‘azione nello spazio pubblico,’ serve come chiave ricostruttivo-cognitiva che potrebbe supportare il diritto a qualificare in modo più adeguato gli oggetti e i destinatari della regolamentazione da esso offerta. Se il tempo e lo spazio sono impossibili da separare, guardare indietro è l'unico modo per scandagliare il futuro (e viceversa). A questo scopo, nel testo vengono offerte alcune brevi incursioni storiche accanto all'analisi giuridica dell’esperienza contemporanea, e ciò con l’obiettivo di illuminare un percorso possibile verso un orizzonte di giustizia spaziale. Nei tre capitoli che lo compongono, il volume tratta rispettivamente del rapporto tra spazio sacro e spazio secolare della città; delle questioni teorico-giuridiche e giurisdizionali che ruotano attorno al problema della disponibilità dei luoghi di culto all’interno del tessuto urbano; e, infine, dei presupposti storici e metodologici per l’elaborazione di una ‘giustizia spaziale’ costituzionale. DOI: 10.13134/979-12-5977-322-7

A collection of thirteen essays which reflect on the problematic relationship between religious diversity and interreligious dialogue by examining key issues that arise from attempting to do justice to the doctrinal tradition of Christianity.