William James's Springs of Delight: The Return to Life

by John R. Shook, Oklahoma State University

Phil Oliver. William James's Springs of Delight: The Return to Life

Trying to catch the center of James's vision, Phil Oliver spies through the bars of the lines of text filling James's collected works. If we, too, peer through, following Oliver's gaze, we can behold James's religious quest in its undimmed purity. And we shall understand what Oliver understands, that James was indeed on a religious quest, seeking the hope that sustains our striving to make a real difference in the world. But James's quest was no private journey of inner meditation. He could not and would not believe that such a journey was his alone. Only a life of preaching to audiences could supply enough adventure.