Faith Supernatural Beliefs And Our Symbolic Brain
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Faith Supernatural Beliefs And Our Symbolic Brain
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Author : Herman Kagan
language : en
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date : 2013-06
Faith Supernatural Beliefs And Our Symbolic Brain written by Herman Kagan and has been published by CreateSpace this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-06 with Social Science categories.
We have been endowed with a symbolic brain that helps us adapt to and survive in our natural and man-made worlds. However it is open to both true and false beliefs both of which have impacts on our well-being. Supernatural beliefs may lead to disastrous consequences but continue to exist because they actually serve human survival through their reliance on faith and reduction of stress. So our symbolic brain's readiness for supernatural beliefs is a mixed blessing-but a blessing nevertheless. BOOK REVIEW A cleareyed look at the psychological and biological foundation of supernatural beliefs. In this accessible text, Kagan (The Psychological Immune System, 2006) undertakes to explain the seemingly inextinguishable human predilection toward faith in the supernatural. He discusses his subject in clear language with plenty of examples, drawing from the research and publications of psychologists, evolutionary biologists and neurologists, as well as other thinkers. Facts and hypotheses from these disciplines weave together into a well-structured argument. By supernatural beliefs, Kagan means to refer to everything from religion to belief in magic or aliens. Such a large definition at first seems untenable, but Kagan ties everything together well enough to convince readers that it's all related and relevant. He covers plenty of ground, from making sense of global warming to how professionals determine when supernatural beliefs have crossed the line into pathology. Kagan also frequently refers to his theory of the psychological immune system, which he developed in his first work: "I envision our symbolic brain as an important tool used extensively by our psychological immune system (Psy-IS) in its quest to protect, preserve, and enhance the life, property, and identity of ourselves and those we love and are bonded to." The symbolic brain provides the psychological immune system with material to accomplish these aims. Comfort, aspirations, and the cessation of anxiety and pain can result from supernatural beliefs, he says, which fits well with the functions of the psychological immune system. His knowledge of psychology enables him to consider the general mechanisms that underlie particular beliefs, and his keen interest flows through the book's easy-to-follow structure. The extensive reference list for further reading will appeal to lay readers eager to follow the argument Kagan coherently assembles. An excellent introduction to the science behind our beliefs.
The Believer S Brain
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Author : Kenneth M. Heilman
language : en
Publisher: Psychology Press
Release Date : 2014-01-21
The Believer S Brain written by Kenneth M. Heilman and has been published by Psychology Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014-01-21 with Psychology categories.
About 90% of people have faith in a supreme being, but our yearning for the divine, and whatever it promises, involves a large divergence in mental states and behaviors. Some adhere to doctrine, supplication, and fastidious religious practices; others have a strong sense they are part of something greater and more universal. However, all religious and spiritual paths are mediated by complex brain networks. When different areas of the brain are stimulated, a person can have a variety of experiences, but there is no specific ‘God spot’ where stimulation enhances religiosity or spirituality. Functional brain imaging shows that there are specific areas of the brain that ‘light up’ when subjects perform certain religious activities, but imaging only provides anatomic correlations, not functional explanations. The Believer's Brain takes a step beyond these singular methodologies, providing converging evidence from a variety study methods of how humans’ brain networks mediate different aspects of religious and spiritual beliefs, feelings, actions, and experiences. Although the book reveals how our brain is the home to the religious and spiritual mind, understanding this gift will not diminish our spirituality or our love or our belief in a supreme being, but will increase appreciation of the apparatus that mediates these mental states.
Your God Spot
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Author : GERALD SCHMELING PH.D
language : en
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Release Date : 2009-05-22
Your God Spot written by GERALD SCHMELING PH.D and has been published by AuthorHouse this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009-05-22 with Psychology categories.
"Your God Spot" is based on scientific findings about God, spirit, and religion. Spiritual hardwiring in the brain is the source of all deity and belief, from whichthe mind projects all forms of faith everywhere. This new view sheds light on the most basic and perplexing questions about belief. Subtitled "How the Brain Makes and the Mind Shapes All Forms of Faith," this book consists of three tight fitting parts. Part I, "In the Mirror of Spirit" directs your attention to the God Spot within. Part I, "Through a Prism of Religion,"describes the forms of faith projected by the mind, including their pros and cons. And Part III, "Out the Window of Belief," focuses on some faiths that measures up, and how you can fulfill your spirituality, no matter your state of belief. Seven chaptersbrimwith reader-friendly information and application. There are opening questions and closingstatements.emphasized text, table highlights, quotes from experts, and a "Mirror into Me" vignette from theauthor's clinical experience. "Your God Spot" addsa new choice--free-ist--to the old categories of atheist, atheist, and agnostic. This means that we are now free to tailor make our own belief, and to alter it to fit as wegrow. An extensive bibliography anchorsthis new view, and guides the reader who wants to dive deeper yet.
The Battle Between Honesty And Deception A Grand Debate
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Author : Herman Kagan
language : en
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company
Release Date : 2020-08-30
The Battle Between Honesty And Deception A Grand Debate written by Herman Kagan and has been published by Atlantic Publishing Company this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-08-30 with Philosophy categories.
Whether we like it or not, deception is something we have to deal with almost every day. We are bombarded with advertisements for great deals, but the catch is always in the fine print. Deception has become a norm but does that mean honesty has ceased to exist? A Grand Debate takes a look at honesty versus deception by delving deeper into research done by professionals in the scientific and medical fields. Written in a conversational style, two people go head to head in a discussion to prove which is more prevalent in society today. Who will win the final battle?
Where God And Science Meet
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Author : Patrick McNamara Ph.D.
language : en
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Release Date : 2006-09-30
Where God And Science Meet written by Patrick McNamara Ph.D. and has been published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2006-09-30 with Religion categories.
Spiritual practices, or awakenings, have an impact on brain, mind and personality. These changes are being scientifically predicted and proven. For example, studies show Buddhist priests and Franciscan nuns at the peak of religious feelings show a functional change in the lobes of their brain. Similar processes have been found in people with epilepsy, which Hippocrates called the sacred disease. New research is showing that not only does a person's brain activity change in particular areas while that person is experiencing religious epiphany, but such events can be created for some people, even self-professed atheists, by stimulating various parts of the brain. In this far-reaching and novel set, experts from across the nation and around the world present evolutionary, neuroscientific, and psychological approaches to explaining and exploring religion, including the newest findings and evidence that have spurred the fledgling field of neurotheology. It is not the goal of neurotheology to prove or disprove the existence of God, but to understand the biology of spiritual experiences. Such experiences seem to exist outside time and space - caused by the brain for some reason losing its perception of a boundary between physical body and outside world - and could help explain other intangible events, such as altered states of consciousness, possessions, alien visitations, near-death experiences and out-of-body events. Understanding them - as well as how and why these abilities evolved in the brain - could also help us understand how religion contributes to survival of the human race. Eminent contributors to this set help us answer questions including: How does religion better our brain function? What is the difference between a religious person and a terrorist who kills in the name of religion? Is there one site or function in the brain necessary for religious experience?
Religion As Make Believe
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Author : Neil Van Leeuwen
language : en
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Release Date : 2023-11-21
Religion As Make Believe written by Neil Van Leeuwen and has been published by Harvard University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023-11-21 with Religion categories.
To understand the nature of religious belief, we must look at how our minds process the world of imagination and make-believe. We often assume that religious beliefs are no different in kind from ordinary factual beliefs—that believing in the existence of God or of supernatural entities that hear our prayers is akin to believing that May comes before June. Neil Van Leeuwen shows that, in fact, these two forms of belief are strikingly different. Our brains do not process religious beliefs like they do beliefs concerning mundane reality; instead, empirical findings show that religious beliefs function like the imaginings that guide make-believe play. Van Leeuwen argues that religious belief—which he terms religious “credence”—is best understood as a form of imagination that people use to define the identity of their group and express the values they hold sacred. When a person pretends, they navigate the world by consulting two maps: the first represents mundane reality, and the second superimposes the features of the imagined world atop the first. Drawing on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence, Van Leeuwen posits that religious communities operate in much the same way, consulting a factual-belief map that represents ordinary objects and events and a religious-credence map that accords these objects and events imagined sacred and supernatural significance. It is hardly controversial to suggest that religion has a social function, but Religion as Make-Believe breaks new ground by theorizing the underlying cognitive mechanisms. Once we recognize that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways, we can gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith.
The Believing Brain
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Author : Michael Shermer
language : en
Publisher: Hachette UK
Release Date : 2012-06-07
The Believing Brain written by Michael Shermer and has been published by Hachette UK this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-06-07 with Science categories.
Synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist and science historian, Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. Using sensory data that flow in through the senses, the brain naturally looks for and finds patterns - and then infuses those patterns with meaning, forming beliefs. Once beliefs are formed, our brains subconsciously seek out confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop. In The Believing Brain, Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not our belief matches reality.
Why God Won T Go Away
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Author : Andrew Newberg, M.D.
language : en
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date : 2008-12-10
Why God Won T Go Away written by Andrew Newberg, M.D. and has been published by Ballantine Books this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2008-12-10 with Religion categories.
Why have we humans always longed to connect with something larger than ourselves? Why does consciousness inevitably involve us in a spiritual quest? Why, in short, won't God go away? Theologians, philosophers, and psychologists have debated this question through the ages, arriving at a range of contradictory and ultimately unprovable answers. But in this brilliant, groundbreaking new book, researchers Andrew Newberg and Eugene d'Aquili offer an explanation that is at once profoundly simple and scientifically precise: the religious impulse is rooted in the biology of the brain. Newberg and d'Aquili base this revolutionary conclusion on a long-term investigation of brain function and behavior as well as studies they conducted using high-tech imaging techniques to examine the brains of meditating Buddhists and Franciscan nuns at prayer. What they discovered was that intensely focused spiritual contemplation triggers an alteration in the activity of the brain that leads us to perceive transcendent religious experiences as solid and tangibly real. In other words, the sensation that Buddhists call "oneness with the universe" and the Franciscans attribute to the palpable presence of God is not a delusion or a manifestation of wishful thinking but rather a chain of neurological events that can be objectively observed, recorded, and actually photographed. The inescapable conclusion is that God is hard-wired into the human brain. In Why God Won't Go Away, Newberg and d'Aquili document their pioneering explorations in the field of neurotheology, an emerging discipline dedicated to understanding the complex relationship between spirituality and the brain. Along the way, they delve into such essential questions as whether humans are biologically compelled to make myths; what is the evolutionary connection between religious ecstasy and sexual orgasm; what do Near Death Experiences reveal about the nature of spiritual phenomena; and how does ritual create its own neurological environment. As their journey unfolds, Newberg and d'Aquili realize that a single, overarching question lies at the heart of their pursuit: Is religion merely a product of biology or has the human brain been mysteriously endowed with the unique capacity to reach and know God? Blending cutting-edge science with illuminating insights into the nature of consciousness and spirituality, Why God Won't Go Away bridges faith and reason, mysticism and empirical data. The neurological basis of how the brain identifies the "real" is nothing short of miraculous. This fascinating, eye-opening book dares to explore both the miracle and the biology of our enduring relationship with God.
The Biology Of Religious Behavior
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Author : Jay R. Feierman
language : en
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Release Date : 2009-06-08
The Biology Of Religious Behavior written by Jay R. Feierman and has been published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2009-06-08 with Religion categories.
Offers a fresh and detailed take on the evolution of religious behavior from a biobehavioral perspective, promoting a new understanding that may help build bridges across the religious divide. There has been much recent interest in the study of religion from the perspective of Darwinian evolution. The Biology of Religious Behavior: The Evolutionary Origins of Faith and Religion offers a broad overview of the topic, written by internationally recognized experts. In addition to its primary focus on religious behavior, the book addresses other important aspects of religion, such as values, beliefs, and emotions as they affect behavior. The contributors approach the evolution of religion by examining the behavior of individuals in their everyday lives. After describing various religious behaviors, the contributors consider the behaviors with reference to their evolutionary history, development during the lifetime of the individual, proximate causes, and adaptive value. Happily, this foray into understanding religion from a biobehavioral perspective demonstrates that, at the biological and behavioral levels, what unites the different religions of the world is far greater than what divides them.
Christianity And The Brain
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Author : Ramsis Ghaly
language : en
Publisher: iUniverse
Release Date : 2007-02
Christianity And The Brain written by Ramsis Ghaly and has been published by iUniverse this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2007-02 with Body, Mind & Spirit categories.
What are the basic understandings of the brain, the mind, and the soul of near-death experiences? In the first of three volumes, Christianity and the Brain, Volume 1: Faith and Medicine in Neuroscience Care delves into the fascinating aspects of the human brain-God's hidden treasure-and its development. Inspired by the Coptic Orthodox faith while growing up in Egypt, Christian neurological surgeon and anesthesiologist Ramsis F. Ghaly uses his experiences to reflect on spirituality and science and the ties between Christianity and the human brain. He also explores neuroscience and God, faith and medicine, the universe and heaven, and birth and life beyond death. Through Ghaly's innovative research, you will grow closer to the Creator and learn to understand Him like never before. A medical career is a sacred vocation with high ethical morals and values. In accordance with such standards, Ghaly illustrates the ideal neuroscience health-care structure in view of holism and patient empowerment, especially toward the dire need of modern care in the world, including the United States of America. Powerful and informative, Christianity and the Brain, Volume 1 takes a new perspective on a seldom-studied subject.