Thinking about Religion: Extending the Cognitive Science of Religion (Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion) - Hardcover

Smith, Aaron C. T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1137324740 ISBN 13: 9781137324740

Verlag: AIAA, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

THINKING ABOUT RELIGION EXAMINES CUTTING-EDGE BREAKTHROUGHS FROM ACROSS THE SCIENCES CONCLUDING THAT RELIGION PERSISTS BECAUSE THE MIND IS PRIMED FOR FAITH, READY TO GRASP AND FIERCELY DEFEND BELIEFS THAT MAKE SENSE BUT DEFY LOGIC.

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Reseña del editor

Thinking about Religion presents a case for an inter-disciplinary science of religion, proposing that religion operates as a kind of psychological and social placebo effect. Religious belief combines thought, feeling and experience in a way that leverages the natural tendency of the mind to latch on to socially and personally useful concepts. This effect delivers tangible benefits because religious concepts and practice feed the mind's natural drive to cling to strong beliefs. At the same time, beliefs are reinforced by favourable emotional responses. Thinking about Religion explains how these elements work together to make religious belief such a powerful placebo effect. Belief is the currency of thought, and religious belief offers a powerful return on investment. Religious activity concentrates the mind's capacity to hold ideas that effectively galvanize groups and cultivate belonging.

Biografía del autor

Yujin Nagasawa is Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Co-Director of the John Hick Center for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is the author of God and Phenomenal Consciousness: A Novel Approach to Knowledge Arguments (2008). He received the Templeton Award for Theological Promise in 2008.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: AIAA
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1137324740
• ISBN 13: 9781137324740
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272