| Region: | Western Philosophy and Psychology |
| Era: | 19th/20th century philosophy |
| James Henry Leuba | |
| Birth Place: | Motiers, Neuchatel, Switzerland |
| Death Place: | Winter Park, Florida |
| Academic Advisors: | G. Stanley Hall |
| School Tradition: | Naturalism |
| Main Interests: | Naturalism, psychology, psychology of religion, mysticism |
| Spouse: | Bertha Aline Schopher |
| Children: | 7 |
James Henry Leuba (April 9, 1868 – December 8, 1946) was an American psychologist best known for his contributions to the psychology of religion. His son Clarence James Leuba was also a psychologist and taught at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.[1]
Leuba was born in Neuchâtel Switzerland, and later moved to America. He took his Ph.D. at Clark University under G. Stanley Hall.[1] His work was marked by a tendency to explain mysticism and other religious experiences in psychological terms. Philosophically, his position may be described as naturalism.[2] His work points to similarities between religious mysticism and yoga or drug-induced mysticism; he does accept differences between these in terms of moral motivation and to what uses mysticism is put.[3] His psychological study of religion aroused opposition from churchmen.[1] He argued for a naturalistic treatment of religion, which he considered to be necessary if religious psychology was to be looked at scientifically. He was an atheist.[4]