Neuroscience and Religion: Brain, Mind, Self, and Soul

by Michael Bess (Contribution by), Stephan Carlson (Contribution by), Tom Gregor (Contribution by), Gary Jensen (Contribution by), Alicia Juarrero (Contribution by)

Overview

For religious persons, the notion of human being is tied inextricably to the notion of God (or the gods) and turns on this question: what is human being? How did we, with our almost infinite capacities for thought, change, and domination, come to be? Imbued with powers far beyond any other animal, humans are too faulty to be considered gods themselves. Yet, the idea of God (or the gods) appears in all distinctive human cultures: it names the other pole of human_it designates a being who realizes perfectly our imperfectly realized nature. With the rise of new sciences come ancient anxieties about how we should define human being. In the nineteenth century, electricity and magnetism fascinated experts and captivated the lay public. In the twenty-first century, advances in neuroscience open up vast new possibilities of mimicking, and perhaps emulating human being. In this book twelve scholars and scientists ask what_if anything_distinguishes Brain from Mind, and Mind from Self and Soul.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739133927
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/16/2009
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Volney Gay is professor and chair of religious studies, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture, professor of psychiatry, and professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University. He is also a faculty member of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Neuroscience and Religion: Brain, Mind, Self, and Soul
Chapter 2 Chapter 1. A Conversation on Neuroscience and Religion
Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Science, Religion, and Three Shades of Black Boxes
Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Neuroscience, Theory of Mind, and the Status of Human-Level Truth
Chapter 5 Chapter 4. Downward Causation and Religion
Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Rapid Advances in Human Brain-Machine Interfacing: Ethical and Social Implications
Chapter 7 Chapter 6. The Neuroscience of Religious Experience: An Introductory Survey
Chapter 8 Chapter 7. Actions, Reasons, Neurons, and Causes
Chapter 9 Chapter 8. Human Universals and Human Nature
Chapter 10 Chapter 9. Religion, Science, and Cognition: Explorations in Pluralistic Integration
Chapter 11 Chapter 10. "The Little Divine Machine": The Soul/Body Problem Revisited
Chapter 12 Conclusion: Looking Forward: The Question of Brain, Mind, Self, and Soul

Editorial Reviews

With the growth in cognitive and neuroscientific study of religion, important questions are beginning to arise. This unique multidisciplinary collection of essays flags numerous issues that scholars will have to tackle for the field to realize its full potential.

Justin L. Barrett Justin L. Barrett

Contributors to this volume plunge headlong into the contested relationship between science and religion to question whether there is, in an age of materialistic neuroscience, any unique reality that constitutes the 'human.' Although their answers are diverse, ranging from attempts to justify 'soul' (and hence religion) to scientific reductions of notions of soul, there is much of interest to be found in their considerations.

Luther H. Martin

With the growth in cognitive and neuroscientific study of religion, important questions are beginning to arise. This unique multidisciplinary collection of essays flags numerous issues that scholars will have to tackle for the field to realize its full potential.

Justin L. Barrett

With the growth in cognitive and neuroscientific study of religion, important questions are beginning to arise. This unique multidisciplinary collection of essays flags numerous issues that scholars will have to tackle for the field to realize its full potential.--Justin L. Barrett, University of Oxford

Contributors to this volume plunge headlong into the contested relationship between science and religion to question whether there is, in an age of materialistic neuroscience, any unique reality that constitutes the 'human.' Although their answers are diverse, ranging from attempts to justify 'soul' (and hence religion) to scientific reductions of notions of soul, there is much of interest to be found in their considerations.--Luther H. Martin, University of Vermont

From the Publisher