Brain Belief

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Brain & Belief

John J. McGraw
Brain Belief Book PDF

Author : John J. McGraw
Publisher : AEGIS PRESS
Page : 422 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780974764504

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Brain & Belief by John J. McGraw Pdf

From its beginnings in prehistoric religion to its central importance in Western faith traditions, the soul has been a constant source of fascination and speculation. Brain & Belief seeks to understand mankind's obsession with life, death, and the afterlife. Exploring the latest insights from neuroscience, psychopharmacology, and existential psychology, McGraw exhaustively researches the various takes on the human soul and considers the meaning of the soul in a postmodern world. The ambitious scope of the book is balanced by a deeply personal voice whose sympathy for both science and religion is resonant.

Memory, Brain, and Belief

Daniel L. Schacter,Elaine Scarry
Memory Brain and Belief Book PDF

Author : Daniel L. Schacter,Elaine Scarry
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 372 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Medical
ISBN : 0674007190

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Memory, Brain, and Belief by Daniel L. Schacter,Elaine Scarry Pdf

This text will be stimulating to scholars in several academic fields. It ranges from cognitive, neurological and pathological perspectives on memory and belief, to memory and belief in autobiographical narratives.

The Believing Brain

Michael Shermer
The Believing Brain Book PDF

Author : Michael Shermer
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 400 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2011-05-24
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781429972611

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The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer Pdf

The Believing Brain is bestselling author Michael Shermer's comprehensive and provocative theory on how beliefs are born, formed, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished. In this work synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist, historian of science, and the world's best-known skeptic 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. From sensory data flowing in through the senses, the brain naturally begins to look for and find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning. Our brains connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen, and these patterns become beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find 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 of belief confirmation. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths. Interlaced with his theory of belief, 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 a belief matches reality.

The Neural Basis of Human Belief Systems

Frank Krueger,Jordan Grafman
The Neural Basis of Human Belief Systems Book PDF

Author : Frank Krueger,Jordan Grafman
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2012-08-21
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781136234972

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The Neural Basis of Human Belief Systems by Frank Krueger,Jordan Grafman Pdf

Is the everyday understanding of belief susceptible to scientific investigation? Belief is one of the most commonly used, yet unexplained terms in neuroscience. Beliefs can be seen as forms of mental representations and one of the building blocks of our conscious thoughts. This book provides an interdisciplinary overview of what we currently know about the neural basis of human belief systems, and how different belief systems are implemented in the human brain. The chapters in this volume explain how the neural correlates of beliefs mediate a range of explicit and implicit behaviours ranging from moral decision making, to the practice of religion. Drawing inferences from philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, religion, and cognitive neuroscience, the book has important implications for understanding how different belief systems are implemented in the human brain, and outlines the directions which research on the cognitive neuroscience of beliefs should take in the future. The Neural Basis of Human Belief Systems will be of great interest to researchers in the fields of psychology, philosophy, psychiatry, and cognitive neuroscience.

Why God Won't Go Away

Andrew Newberg, M.D.,Eugene G. D'Aquili
Why God Won t Go Away Book PDF

Author : Andrew Newberg, M.D.,Eugene G. D'Aquili
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2008-12-10
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780307493156

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Why God Won't Go Away by Andrew Newberg, M.D.,Eugene G. D'Aquili Pdf

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.

God and the Brain

Kelly James Clark
God and the Brain Book PDF

Author : Kelly James Clark
Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2019-07-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781467456555

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God and the Brain by Kelly James Clark Pdf

Does cognitive science show that religious belief is irrational? Kelly James Clark brings together science and philosophy to examine some of humanity’s more pressing questions. Is belief in God, as Richard Dawkins claims, a delusion? Are atheists smarter or more rational than religious believers? Do our genes determine who we are and what we believe? Can our very creaturely cognitive equipment help us discover truth and meaning in life? Are atheists any different from Mother Teresa? Clark’s surprising answers both defend the rationality of religious belief and contribute to the study of cognitive science. God and the Brain explores complicated questions about the nature of belief and the human mind. Scientifically minded, philosophically astute, and reader-friendly, God and the Brain provides an accessible overview of some new cognitive scientific approaches to the study of religion and evaluates their implications for both theistic and atheistic belief.

All in the Mind?

Peter Clarke
All in the Mind Book PDF

Author : Peter Clarke
Publisher : Lion Books
Page : 129 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2015-05-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780745956763

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All in the Mind? by Peter Clarke Pdf

Much progress has been made to understand the intricacies of the brain's workings. Some have claimed, and many assumed, that these findings have challenged faith in God to the point of destruction. Are we not mere neural machines? Are religious experiences not just 'in the mind', the products of abnormal 'brain events'? Is faith not just a side effect of evolution? Not so, according to neuroscientist Peter Clarke, after a lifetime's study of the brain. In this comprehensive book, the current state of neuroscientific evidence is weighed up alongside ideas of what it means to be human, the idea of the soul, near-death experiences, and questions of free will and responsibility. He engages with the leading thinkers in these areas, including Francis Crick, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Daniel Wegner.

Our Religious Brains

Ralph D. Mecklenburger
Our Religious Brains Book PDF

Author : Ralph D. Mecklenburger
Publisher : Jewish Lights Publishing
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9781580235082

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Our Religious Brains by Ralph D. Mecklenburger Pdf

This is a groundbreaking, accessible look at the implications of cognitive science for religion and theology, intended for laypeople. Avoiding neurological jargon and respectful to all faiths, it examines:

The Believer's Brain

Kenneth M. Heilman,Russell S. Donda
The Believer s Brain Book PDF

Author : Kenneth M. Heilman,Russell S. Donda
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2014-01-21
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781317812906

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The Believer's Brain by Kenneth M. Heilman,Russell S. Donda Pdf

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.

Believing

Michael McGuire
Believing Book PDF

Author : Michael McGuire
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2013-09-10
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781616148300

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Believing by Michael McGuire Pdf

A new book about brain chemistry, neural systems, and the formation of beliefs from the scientist who brought to light serotonin's many crucial roles in human behavior. Beliefs: What are they? How have evolution and culture led to a brain that is seemingly committed to near endless belief creation? And once established, why are most beliefs so difficult to change? Believing offers answers to these questions from the perspective of a leading neuroscientist and expert in brain-behavior research. Combining personal anecdotes and the latest research, Dr. McGuire takes the novel approach of focusing on the central and critical role of brain systems and the ways in which they interact with the environment to create and maintain beliefs. This approach yields some surprising and counterintuitive conclusions: • The brain is designed for belief creation and acceptance. • It is biased in favor of its own beliefs and is highly insensitive to disconfirming evidence. • It prefers beliefs that are pleasurable and rewarding to those that are unfavorable. • Beliefs are "afterthoughts" of unperceived brain activities; they don't cause behavior. • Our consciousness has minimal influence on the neural systems that create beliefs. Based on these observations, McGuire concludes that for the foreseeable future people will continue to hold a multitude of beliefs, many of them intransigent.

Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs

Michael Persinger
Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs Book PDF

Author : Michael Persinger
Publisher : Praeger
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 1987-10-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : UOM:39015012965102

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Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs by Michael Persinger Pdf

In this study, the scientific principles of learning and brain functions are applied to the God Experience. The author skillfully blends modern neurophysiology with critical behavioral psychology to offer an objective explanation for why people believe in God. This provocative and scholarly work will interest psychologists, neuroscientists, clergy, and anyone studying mystical experience.

From Neurons to Neighborhoods

National Research Council,Institute of Medicine,Board on Children, Youth, and Families,Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development
From Neurons to Neighborhoods Book PDF

Author : National Research Council,Institute of Medicine,Board on Children, Youth, and Families,Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 610 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2000-11-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780309069885

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From Neurons to Neighborhoods by National Research Council,Institute of Medicine,Board on Children, Youth, and Families,Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development Pdf

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

How God Changes Your Brain

Andrew Newberg, M.D.,Mark Robert Waldman
How God Changes Your Brain Book PDF

Author : Andrew Newberg, M.D.,Mark Robert Waldman
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Page : 369 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2010-03-23
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780345503428

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How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg, M.D.,Mark Robert Waldman Pdf

God is great—for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Based on new evidence culled from brain-scan studies, a wide-reaching survey of people’s religious and spiritual experiences, and the authors’ analyses of adult drawings of God, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and therapist Mark Robert Waldman offer the following breakthrough discoveries: • Not only do prayer and spiritual practice reduce stress, but just twelve minutes of meditation per day may slow down the aging process. • Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety and depression and increases feelings of security, compassion, and love. • Fundamentalism, in and of itself, can be personally beneficial, but the prejudice generated by extreme beliefs can permanently damage your brain. • Intense prayer and meditation permanently change numerous structures and functions in the brain, altering your values and the way you perceive reality. Both a revelatory work of modern science and a practical guide for readers to enhance their physical and emotional health, How God Changes Your Brain is a first-of-a-kind book about faith that is as credible as it is inspiring.

Our Religious Brains

Rabbi Ralph D. Mecklenberger
Our Religious Brains Book PDF

Author : Rabbi Ralph D. Mecklenberger
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2012-02-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781580236133

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Our Religious Brains by Rabbi Ralph D. Mecklenberger Pdf

A Revolution in Human Self-Understanding Is Underway What Does It Mean for Religion and Our Belief in God? The brain and consciousness are themselves awe-inspiring. So learning about them no more undermines religion than learning about how symphonies and paintings are crafted takes away from our appreciation of music and art. Science alone does not provide the ultimate answers or firmly rooted values for which we yearn. But religion alone does not have all the answers either. We are blessed, as moderns, with both. from the Introduction This is a groundbreaking, accessible look at the implications of cognitive science for religion and theology, intended for laypeople. Avoiding neurological jargon and respectful to all faiths, it examines: Current theory on how our brains construct our world in order to guide us safely through life, creating and appreciating meaning as we go. What religious experience is as it plays out in our brains. How modern science challenges historic ideas about free will and undermines the religious concept of the soul as a meta-physical entity separable from the body. What cognitive science reveals about our need for community. Why we should be loyal to one faith if, in fact, all major religious traditions deal effectively with universal human needs.

Mind and Belief V

Eugene Breen
Mind and Belief V Book PDF

Author : Eugene Breen
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2015-08-12
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781504988599

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Mind and Belief V by Eugene Breen Pdf

This book is the latest in the series The Human Mind and Belief. It is akin to an impressionist painting with ideas scattered all over the text, much like the artist daubs brushes of varying colors on the canvas. The image comes to light from a distance and forms a deep impression. The basic theme is that in order to get a life, you gotta believe. It discusses work and music and the human mind, among other topics, and peers at the deeper meaning of these realities. It is a playful teasing of man, much like a cat plays with a mouse before devouring him! By leading man on a merry dance through some of his interests, and by distracting him with his own things, the clinical eye of the writer and reader observe man when he thinks no one is looking and so reveals himself in his true colors. What you see is in the eye of the beholder and many poor uneducated blind people see the truth of life when thus confronted by man in his underwear, whereas many educated intelligent clear-sighted people do not.