Wonder: From Emotion to Spirituality

5. A Life Shaped by Wonder

5. A Life Shaped by Wonder: William James Specifically religious experiences . . . soften nature’s outlines and open out the strangest possibilities and perspectives.—william james W e have already noted juan de pascuale’s observation that ‘‘if attended to, the experience of wonder gives birth to self-examination and to a mindful awareness of the world.’’∞ No one better illustrates this transformative experience than one of America’s greatest philosophers and psychologists, William James. James stands out across history as an ‘‘exemplar of wonder’’ in part because several distinct experiences of wonder had a remarkable e√ect on his perceptual, cognitive, and moral orientations to life. More important, however, his mindful attention to these experiences furnished the experiential template for a full-blown philosophical outlook that is both spiritually and morally compelling even to this day. The Experience of Metaphysical Illumination William James (1842–1910) was born into a family that assured his early introduction to the major intellectual and religious debates that have 70 william james defined the modern era.≤ His father, Henry James Sr. had inherited a fortune that was large enough to permit him to devote all his energies to philosophical and theological investigations. Henry James Sr. was a close friend of the era’s most progressive thinkers. Many of them, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, visited the James home frequently to engage in lively discussion. Henry became enamored of the era’s innovative spiritual philosophies, particularly Swedenborgianism. Emanuel Swedenborg had been a preeminent European scientist before proclaiming that he had been visited by angelic beings who revealed to him the secrets of the universe. Swedenborg’s metaphysical system hinged around the twin doctrines of correspondence (i.e., the belief that there are multiple levels or dimensions to the universe that are in essential harmony with one another) and influx (i.e., the belief that energies from a ‘‘higher’’ level of the universe can, under the precise lawful conditions, flow into a ‘‘lower’’ level and exert causal influences). Henry James extended Swedenborg’s teachings in a series of largely ignored publications filled with grandiose metaphysical speculations. Henry James was determined that his children would make original contributions to the world, and he provided them with expensive educations, private tutors, and numerous trips to European cultural centers. One son, Henry Jr., became a gifted novelist. But it was his oldest child, William, who was destined to emerge as one of the greatest thinkers in modern history. William had a particularly di≈cult time getting a firm hold on life. After a brief stint as an artist, he knew he had to pick a more conventional career. His father’s example gave him little help. Henry James had formulated grandiose metaphysical theories that seemingly explained the entire universe. Yet William was unable to deduce from these elaborate schemes any one direction that he should follow . He was an especially sensitive young man and soon began to crumble under the weight of trying to know with certainty what one, true vocation he should pursue. He developed nervous disorders that were to plague him the rest of his life. Chronic insomnia, eye trouble, digestive problems, and back pains were cruel reminders that his william james 71 upbringing had done little to help him come to grips with the real tasks of life. He had no direction in life, and his despair continued to worsen. He yearned for religious relief. However, his intellectual background made it impossible for him to believe in the divinity of Jesus, in the revealed origins of the Bible, or that any one religion has a monopoly on truth. He had, furthermore, long ago ceased believing in a God ‘‘up there’’ who hears our prayers and who occasionally chooses to intervene miraculously on our behalf. William James was in many ways a prototype of modern individuals who yearn for a grand spiritual dimension to their lives yet feel alienated from conventional religious belief. He was destined to have to fight his way to an original religious outlook that moved beyond— rather than ignored—modern intellectual di≈culties with organized religion. Only gradually was he able to assemble a spiritual philosophy that helped him restore his sense of personal vitality. In a manner similar to what psychologist Erik Erikson observed in Martin Luther, William James was able ‘‘to lift his individual patienthood to the level of a universal one and try to solve for...