William James and the Metaphysics of Experience

WilliamJamesisfrequentlyconsideredoneofAmerica'smostimportantphilosophers,aswellasafoundationalthinkerforthestudyofreligion.Despitehisreputationasthefounderofpragmatism,heisrarelyconsideredaseriousphilosopherorreligiousthinker.InthisnewinterpretationDavidLambertharguesthatJames'smajorcontributionwastodevelopasystematicmetaphysicsofexperienceintegrallyrelatedtohisdevelopingpluralisticandsocialreligiousideas.LamberthsystematicallyinterpretsJames'sradicallyempiricistworld-viewandarguesforanearlydating(1895)forhiscommitmenttothemetaphysicsofradicalempiricism.HeoffersaclosereadingofVarietiesofReligiousExperience;andconcludesbyconnectingJames'sideasaboutexperience,pluralismandtruthtocurrentdebatesinphilosophy,thephilosophyofreligion,andtheology,suggestingJames'sfunctional,experientialmetaphysicsasaconceptualaidinbridgingthesocialandinterpretivewiththeimmediateandconcretewhileavoidingnaiverealism.