Episode · Honestly with Bari Weiss · 2025-04-17
Books mentioned on Ross Douthat: Why It’s Logical to Believe in God
You may have noticed on this show that Bari Weiss is always asking her guests, “Do you believe in God?,” “What is your favorite biblical character?
Bari Weiss recommended Believe by Ross Douthat, and discussed The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Ross Douthat recommended After by Bruce Greyson, and discussed The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James and The Principles of Psychology by William James.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Believe
Believe by Ross Douthat is an exploration of why religious faith remains logical and vital in the modern era.
Recommended“His latest book, which we talk about today, is called Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.”
Where to get it
-
The Righteous Mind
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt is an insightful exploration of moral psychology that investigates why good people are divided by politics and religion.
Discussed“I know Jonathan Height talks about this in his book, The Righteous Minds, that we all have sort of a God-shaped hole in us”
Where to get it
-
The Varieties of Religious Experience
William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience is a foundational exploration of human spirituality, religious sentiment, and psychological states of consciousness.
Discussed“if you read William James varieties of religious experience, the famous, you know, the famous attempt to sort of catalog and analyze these experiences, I saw things like that happened to my parents and people I know.”
Where to get it
-
The Principles of Psychology
The Principles of Psychology by William James is an 1890 foundational classic in the field of psychology that explores human consciousness, habit, and emotion.
Discussed“And so, you know, if you read William James' varieties of religious experience, the famous, you know, the famous attempt to sort of catalog and analyze these experiences, I saw things like that happened to my parents and people I know.”
Where to get it
-
After
After by Bruce Greyson is a comprehensive non-fiction exploration of near-death experiences, drawing on extensive psychiatric research and data from the University of Virginia.
Recommended“I recommend a book called uh after by a doctor named Bruce Grayson, which is there have been a lot of surveys of the literature on this going back.”
Where to get it
