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Philosopher of religion, lay theologian, and biblical exegete, Baron Friedrich von Hugel was a remarkable man who started writing a biography of St. Catherine of Genoa and ended up writing an extensive and brilliant treatise on the 'philosophy of mysticism.' Using St. Catherine and her friends as illustrative examples, in this book he develops his well-known analysis of the three basic elements of religion. Institutionalism, based on sense and memory, refers to that which is external, authoritative, historical, and institutional in religion. Intellectualism, based on the reasoning, argumentative, abstractive side of human nature, refers to the critical, speculative, and philosophical dimension of religion. Mysticism, based on the exercise of will and action, refers to the experiential, the intuitive, the emotional, and the mystical element of religion.
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