Exploring William James' Views on Personal Religious Experiences

Dive into William James' essay, The Will to Believe, published in 1896, as the chapter discusses his defense of personal experiences against the dominance of science, his exploration of personal versus institutional effects of religion, and his navigation between universalizing personal experiences and respecting their individuality. The conversation also touches on the intricate language used by individuals to describe personal religious experiences, the difficulty in emotionally connecting with these experiences, and the importance of taking lived experiences seriously over theoretical and theological explanations.