The spiritualist foundation of Max Weber's 'Interpretative Sociology': Ernst Troeltsch Max Weber and William James' Varieties of Religious Experience

Abstract

William James' Varieties of Religious Experience was published in 1902, and translated into German in 1907. This essay explores the develop ment of Max Weber's investigations into human psychology and forms of religious life, arguing that James' work had a lasting impact on Max Weber and coloured the development of his 'sociological' investi gations.