 He defines a work of art as "a physically embodied, culturally emergent entity", a human "utterance" that isn't an ontological quirk but in line with other human activity and culture in general.He emphasizes that works of art are complex and difficult to fathom, and that no determinate interpretation can be given.Both Dewey and James investigated the role that religion can still play in contemporary society, the former in "A Common Faith" and the latter in "The Varieties of Religious Experience".