William James’s perspectives on religion, philosophy, and the conscious experience are best understood within the context of the rapid change occurring at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, when The Varieties of Religious Experience was published. By 1900, the American landscape had altered entirely, and the country took its place as a powerful player in the global economy. Train tracks ran from coast to coast, and telephones made it possible to speak to people in cities across the nation. The United State held the title of largest agricultural producer and supplied the world from its seemingly endless oil supply. The country was an industrial force, producing more steel and automobiles than any other country in the world. Philosophers like William James were tasked with making sense of this new, connected reality.

Embracing the diverse experiences of human life in the 19th century, philosophy exploded into a complex web of approaches. Transcendentalists pushed for self-reliance and spiritual truth. German philosophers like Hegel, Kant, Schelling, and Fichte explored reality through the lens of personal experience and perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels drew attention to class struggles and systems of economic power.