AHSEM-UA 144 - Varieties of Religious Experience Revisited

Institution:

New York University

Subject:

Description:

Uses but also updates William James's pioneering approach to interpreting and understanding religion in psychological rather than theological terms. Examines how the term "religion" is more confusing than helpful when it fails to differentiate between a wide variety of utterly incompatible beliefs and practices at different stages of cognitive and emotional development. Discusses the phenomenon of "political religions" (nationalism, totalitarianism, apocalyptic fundamentalism) as attempts to reject modernity (the modern scientific mentality), in order to fill the vacuum that Sartre called "the God-shaped hole in the soul of modern man" that resulted when the traditional sources of moral, legal, and political authority (God, religion, pure reason) lost their credibility as sources of knowledge. Considers that political religions result from psychological regression and contrasts them with the current moment in the evolution of religious consciousness, in which the challenge is to find progressive forms of religious expression, understanding, and experience consistent with the modern scientific mentality, while not being reducible to it. Concludes by examining whether this is the context in which the next major step in the evolution of both culture and personality will need to occur.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nyu.edu

Phone Number:

(212) 998-1212

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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