Neurotheology
How Science Can Enlighten Us About Spirituality
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- $33.99
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- $33.99
Publisher Description
Religion is often cast in opposition to science. Yet both are deeply rooted in the inner workings of the human brain. With the advent of the modern cognitive neurosciences, the scientific study of religious and spiritual phenomena has become far more sophisticated and wide-ranging. What might brain scans of people in prayer, in meditation, or under the influence of psychoactive substances teach us about religious and spiritual beliefs? Are religion and spirituality reducible to neurological processes, or might there be aspects that, at least for now, transcend scientific claims?
In this book, Andrew Newberg explores the latest findings of neurotheology, the multidisciplinary field linking neuroscience with religious and spiritual phenomena. He investigates some of the most controversial—and potentially transformative—implications of a neurotheological approach for the truth claims of religion and our understanding of minds and brains. Newberg leads readers on a tour through key intersections of neuroscience and theology, including the potential evolutionary basis of religion; the psychology of religion, including mental health and brain pathology; the neuroscience of myths, rituals, and mystical experiences; how studies of altered states of consciousness shed new light on the mind-brain relationship; and what neurotheology can tell us about free will. When brain science and religious experience are considered together in an integrated approach, Newberg shows, we might come closer to a fuller understanding of the deepest questions.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this comprehensive look at the field of neurotheology, or the neurology of religion, neuroscientist and researcher Newberg (How God Changes Your Brain) uses brain scans to build on the work that philosopher-psychologist William James first recorded in his 1902 book, The Varieties of Religious Experience. He begins by defining neurotheology largely rehashing ground he has covered more thoroughly in previous books by explaining his studies on the brain states accompanying mystical experience, the perception of religious symbols, and the performance of such religious practices as meditation and prayer. Newberg points out that the field remains still largely unplowed by mainstream neuroscience, which usually maps physiology and pathology rather than looking at the relationship between brain activity and consciousness of theological transcendence. Newberg spends much of the book exploring how his long-held beliefs have slowly become accepted. However, beyond brief references to newer research, he breaks no new conceptual ground; at points, the book reads like a journal article that responsibly reviews the field. Nonetheless, given that the larger relationship between science and religion has been contested for centuries, Newberg's latest evidential support for a scientific understanding of why humans practice religion will be a welcome overview for interested readers.
