Supernatural Agents

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Supernatural Agents

Iikka Pyysiainen
Supernatural Agents Book PDF

Author : Iikka Pyysiainen
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2009-04-27
Category : Religion
ISBN : 019970175X

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Supernatural Agents by Iikka Pyysiainen Pdf

The cognitive science of religion is a rapidly growing field whose practitioners apply insights from advances in cognitive science in order to provide a better understanding of religious impulses, beliefs, and behaviors. In this book Ilkka Pyysi?inen shows how this methodology can profitably be used in the comparative study of beliefs about superhuman agents. He begins by developing a theoretical outline of the basic, modular architecture of the human mind and especially the human capacity to understand agency. He then goes on to discuss examples of supernatural agency in detail, arguing that the human ability to attribute beliefs and desires to others forms the basis of conceptions of supernatural agents and of such social cognition in which supernatural agents are postulated as interested parties in social life. Beliefs about supernatural agency are natural, says Pyysi?inen, in the sense that such concepts are used in an intuitive and automatic fashion. Two dots and a straight line below them automatically trigger the idea of a face, for example. Given that the mind consists of a host of such modular mechanisms, certain kinds of beliefs will always have a selective advantage over others. Abstract theological concepts are usually elaborate versions of such simpler and more contagious folk conceptions. Pyysi?inen uses ethnographical and survey materials as well as doctrinal treatises to show that there are certain recurrent patterns in beliefs about supernatural agents both at the level of folk-religion and of formal theology.

Supernatural Agents

Iikka Pyysiainen
Supernatural Agents Book PDF

Author : Iikka Pyysiainen
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2009-04-27
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780199745722

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Supernatural Agents by Iikka Pyysiainen Pdf

The cognitive science of religion is a rapidly growing field whose practitioners apply insights from advances in cognitive science in order to provide a better understanding of religious impulses, beliefs, and behaviors. In this book Ilkka Pyysi?inen shows how this methodology can profitably be used in the comparative study of beliefs about superhuman agents. He begins by developing a theoretical outline of the basic, modular architecture of the human mind and especially the human capacity to understand agency. He then goes on to discuss examples of supernatural agency in detail, arguing that the human ability to attribute beliefs and desires to others forms the basis of conceptions of supernatural agents and of such social cognition in which supernatural agents are postulated as interested parties in social life. Beliefs about supernatural agency are natural, says Pyysi?inen, in the sense that such concepts are used in an intuitive and automatic fashion. Two dots and a straight line below them automatically trigger the idea of a face, for example. Given that the mind consists of a host of such modular mechanisms, certain kinds of beliefs will always have a selective advantage over others. Abstract theological concepts are usually elaborate versions of such simpler and more contagious folk conceptions. Pyysi?inen uses ethnographical and survey materials as well as doctrinal treatises to show that there are certain recurrent patterns in beliefs about supernatural agents both at the level of folk-religion and of formal theology.

Religious Experience and Religious Lives

Walter Scott Stepanenko
Religious Experience and Religious Lives Book PDF

Author : Walter Scott Stepanenko
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 167 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2023-09-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781666922028

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Religious Experience and Religious Lives by Walter Scott Stepanenko Pdf

Religious Experience and Religious Lives: An Epistemology defends a moderate approach to religious experiences in which they can contribute to the justification of central religious beliefs, most importantly belief in God. Epistemologists of religion disagree about what evidential value religious experiences have. Some argue that religious experiences have no evidential value while others argue that religious experiences constitute proof of God's existence. However, Walter Scott Stepanenko argues that religious experiences can contribute to these justificatory cases in several distinct ways and that several justificatory cases are philosophically viable. This book contends that this joint justificatory viability is best explained by the diversity and development of religious lives: as religious believers grow in a faith tradition, their access to an evidential base can develop and the contributory work religious experiences provide in defense of religious belief can change. This suggests that various epistemologies of religious experience implicitly emphasize different life stages or different prototypical religious believers and that a fully adequate epistemology of religious experience will be expansive, pluralistic, and responsive to the diversity of religious believers and their development in a religious tradition.

Nature, Design, and Science

Del Ratzsch
Nature Design and Science Book PDF

Author : Del Ratzsch
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2001-03-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0791448932

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Nature, Design, and Science by Del Ratzsch Pdf

Explores the question of whether or not concepts and principles involving supernatural intelligent design can occupy any legitimate place within science.

Invisible Agents. A Non-Secular Approach to World- and Sensemaking in Pandemic Times

Antonia Tungel
Invisible Agents A Non Secular Approach to World and Sensemaking in Pandemic Times Book PDF

Author : Antonia Tungel
Publisher : GRIN Verlag
Page : 24 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2022-05-03
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783346637550

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Invisible Agents. A Non-Secular Approach to World- and Sensemaking in Pandemic Times by Antonia Tungel Pdf

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 1,0, University of Freiburg (Institut für Ethnologie), language: English, abstract: Based on the topic of human-environment relation, I am going to delve into the question of who is subjectively identified as a ‘supernatural agent’ and what type and scope of agency is attributed. In the context of the seminar that also asks about the connection to COVID-related healing practices, I will then link the concept of supernatural agency with phenomena of health. Thereupon I want to present the methods and findings of my research following the guideline question: How do religious actors in Germany and Indonesia connect their belief with medical action against the Covid-19 pandemic?, focusing on Christian actors in Germany. Toward the end of 2019, a tiny entity given the name SARS-CoV-2, overpowered the world with a relentless ferocity that sharply exposed the vulnerability of modern human civilization. A belief in the superiority of our species, in the progressiveness of modern social systems, in the achievements in technology and medicine, could not save us from the power of “one of nature’s most miniscule members". With the ongoing spread and unpredictable mutation of the COVID-19 virus, a global war has been declared on something biologically not even classified as a living being, and states mobilize all resources to regain control. This ‘invisible agent’ challenges our personal lives and state action just as much as the postulated separation between humanity and ‘nature’. Not only must we acknowledge the virus as a more-than-human global actor in contrast to humans as being the only forceful agents “acting upon a passive world”, its assumed origin in zoonosis also marks a point of fusion between human and non-human realms, and therefore can be seen as a reinforcement of entanglement that transcends nature/culture dichotomy.

Action, Freedom and Responsibility

Subasini Barik
Action Freedom and Responsibility Book PDF

Author : Subasini Barik
Publisher : DK Printworld (P) Ltd
Page : 175 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2022-10-19
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9788124611128

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Action, Freedom and Responsibility by Subasini Barik Pdf

This book, a work on human doing, analyses and applies three central aspects of human life – Action, Freedom and Responsibility – in the wide spectrum of the Philosophy of Mind. Reflections on these issues and their interconnections have a significant effect on the Philosophy of Value and application of ethical theories in practical life. This book even reconstructs the conceptual connection between action and freedom, on the one hand, and that between freedom and responsibility, on the other. It also puts the concepts of freedom and determinism to critical test and reinterprets them from different angles and perspectives. The conventional doctrine of karma, based on the teachings of the BhagavadgÁtÀ, is relieved from its usual deterministic presentation and a logically reasonable explanation is offered. Human actions and human agency are central concepts in the philosophy of mind and action. Free will and responsibility constitute the bedrock of the moral life of the human agents and the book pinpoints that freedom is meant to undertake the goal-oriented actions. It is, therefore, focused on the enquiry into the various aspects of philosophy of mind, as well as the philosophy of value.

Naturalism Theism and the Cognitve Study of Religion

Aku Visala
Naturalism Theism and the Cognitve Study of Religion Book PDF

Author : Aku Visala
Publisher : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Page : 229 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781409424277

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Naturalism Theism and the Cognitve Study of Religion by Aku Visala Pdf

This book provides a critical philosophical analysis of the claim that contemporary cognitive approaches to religion undermine theistic beliefs. The book argues that such naturalism is not necessary for the cognitive study of religion and develops an alternative philosophical and methodological framework. This unique contribution to discussions regarding the philosophical and theological implications of the cognitive study of religion summarizes the so far fragmentary discussion, exposes its underlying assumptions, and develops a novel framework for further discussion.

The Psychology of Belief

Nancy S. Kim
The Psychology of Belief Book PDF

Author : Nancy S. Kim
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2022-11-17
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781350328174

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The Psychology of Belief by Nancy S. Kim Pdf

Why do we believe in the views of a political party or leader? How can we better understand vaccine hesitancy or denial of climate change science? What drives extremist or conspiracist beliefs? This vital and timely new text provides a compelling survey of the science behind how people form beliefs and evaluate those of others, and why it is that beliefs are often so resistant to change in the face of conflicting evidence. Bringing together theories and empirical evidence from cognitive, developmental, and social psychology, Nancy S. Kim presents an engaging overview of the field and its implications for a wide range of beliefs – from moral, political, religious, and superstitious beliefs to beliefs about ourselves and our own potential. The intriguing studies discussed demonstrate how many psychological factors contribute to belief, including memory, reasoning, judgment, emotion, personality, social cognition, and cognitive development. With thoughtful questions and a range of cross-cultural case studies, this is an ideal overview for students of psychology and all readers interested in the psychology of belief.

Evil

Luke Russell
Evil Book PDF

Author : Luke Russell
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198712480

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Evil by Luke Russell Pdf

When asked to describe wartime atrocities, acts of terrorism, and serial killers, many of us reach for the word evil. But what does it mean to say that an action or a person is evil? Some philosophers have claimed that there is no such thing as evil, and that thinking in terms of evil is simplistic and dangerous. In response to this sceptical challenge, Luke Russell shows that concept of evil has a legitimate place within contemporary secular moral thought. In this book he addresses questions concerning the nature of evil action, such as whether evil actions must be incomprehensible, whether evil actions can be banal, and whether there is a psychological hallmark that distinguishes evils from other wrongs. Russell also explores issues regarding the nature of evil persons, including whether every evil person is an evildoer, whether every evil person is irredeemable, and whether a person could be evil merely in virtue of having evil feelings. The concept of evil is extreme, and is easily misused. Nonetheless, Russell suggests that it has an important role to play when it comes to evaluating and explaining the worst kind of wrongdoing.

The Believing Primate

Jeffrey Schloss,Michael Murray
The Believing Primate Book PDF

Author : Jeffrey Schloss,Michael Murray
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 381 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2009-03-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780191567841

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The Believing Primate by Jeffrey Schloss,Michael Murray Pdf

Over the last two decades, scientific accounts of religion have received a great deal of scholarly and popular attention both because of their intrinsic interest and because they are widely seen as potentially constituting a threat to the religion they analyse. The Believing Primate aims to describe and discuss these scientific accounts as well as to assess their implications. The volume begins with essays by leading scientists in the field, describing these accounts and discussing evidence in their favour. Philosophical and theological reflections on these accounts follow, offered by leading philosophers, theologians, and scientists. This diverse group of scholars address some fascinating underlying questions: Do scientific accounts of religion undermine the justification of religious belief? Do such accounts show religion to be an accidental by-product of our evolutionary development? And, whilst we seem naturally disposed toward religion, would we fare better or worse without it? Bringing together dissenting perspectives, this provocative collection will serve to freshly illuminate ongoing debate on these perennial questions.

Death Anxiety and Religious Belief

Jonathan Jong,Jamin Halberstadt
Death Anxiety and Religious Belief Book PDF

Author : Jonathan Jong,Jamin Halberstadt
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2016-08-25
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781472571649

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Death Anxiety and Religious Belief by Jonathan Jong,Jamin Halberstadt Pdf

There are no atheists in foxholes; or so we hear. The thought that the fear of death motivates religious belief has been around since the earliest speculations about the origins of religion. There are hints of this idea in the ancient world, but the theory achieves prominence in the works of Enlightenment critics and Victorian theorists of religion, and has been further developed by contemporary cognitive scientists. Why do people believe in gods? Because they fear death. Yet despite the abiding appeal of this simple hypothesis, there has not been a systematic attempt to evaluate its central claims and the assumptions underlying them. Do human beings fear death? If so, who fears death more, religious or nonreligious people? Do reminders of our mortality really motivate religious belief? Do religious beliefs actually provide comfort against the inevitability of death? In Death Anxiety and Religious Belief, Jonathan Jong and Jamin Halberstadt begin to answer these questions, drawing on the extensive literature on the psychology of death anxiety and religious belief, from childhood to the point of death, as well as their own experimental research on conscious and unconscious fear and faith. In the course of their investigations, they consider the history of ideas about religion's origins, challenges of psychological measurement, and the very nature of emotion and belief.

The Minds of Gods

Benjamin Grant Purzycki,Theiss Bendixen
The Minds of Gods Book PDF

Author : Benjamin Grant Purzycki,Theiss Bendixen
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 285 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2023-02-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781350265714

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The Minds of Gods by Benjamin Grant Purzycki,Theiss Bendixen Pdf

Why are humans obsessed with divine minds? What do gods know and what do they care about? What happens to us and our relationships when gods are involved? Drawing from neuroscience, evolutionary, cultural, and applied anthropology, social psychology, religious studies, philosophy, technology, and cognitive and political sciences, The Minds of Gods probes these questions from a multitude of naturalistic perspectives. Each chapter offers brief intellectual histories of their topics, summarizes current cutting-edge questions in the field, and points to areas in need of attention from future researchers. Through an innovative theoretical framework that combines evolutionary and cognitive approaches to religion, this book brings together otherwise disparate literatures to focus on a topic that has comprised a lasting, central obsession of our species.

Evolution, Religion, and Cognitive Science

Fraser Watts,Léon P. Turner
Evolution Religion and Cognitive Science Book PDF

Author : Fraser Watts,Léon P. Turner
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-20
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780191512445

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Evolution, Religion, and Cognitive Science by Fraser Watts,Léon P. Turner Pdf

The cognitive science of religion is an inherently heterogeneous subject, incorporating theory and data from anthropology, psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, and philosophy of mind amongst other subjects. One increasingly influential area of research in this field is concerned specifically with exploring the relationship between the evolution of the human mind, the evolution of culture in general, and the origins and subsequent development of religion. This research has exerted a strong influence on many areas of religious studies over the last twenty years, but, for some, the so-called 'evolutionary cognitive science of religion' remains a deeply problematic enterprise. This book's primary aim is to engage critically and constructively with this complex and diverse body of research from a wide range of perspectives. To these ends, the book brings together authors from a variety of relevant disciplines, in the thorough exploration of many of the key debates in the field. These include, for example: can certain aspects of religion be considered adaptive, or are they evolutionary by-products? Is the evolutionary cognitive science of religion compatible with theism? Is the evolutionary cognitive approach compatible with other, more traditional approaches to the study of religion? To what extent is religion shaped by cultural evolutionary processes? Is the evolutionary account of the mind that underpins the evolutionary cognitive approach the best or only available account? Written in accessible language, with an introductory chapter by Ilkka Pyssiäinen, a leading scholar in the field, this book is a valuable resource for specialists, undergraduate and graduate students, and newcomers to the evolutionary cognitive science of religion.

Religious Evolution and the Axial Age

Stephen K. Sanderson
Religious Evolution and the Axial Age Book PDF

Author : Stephen K. Sanderson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2018-01-25
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781350047440

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Religious Evolution and the Axial Age by Stephen K. Sanderson Pdf

Religious Evolution and the Axial Age describes and explains the evolution of religion over the past ten millennia. It shows that an overall evolutionary sequence can be observed, running from the spirit and shaman dominated religions of small-scale societies, to the archaic religions of the ancient civilizations, and then to the salvation religions of the Axial Age. Stephen K. Sanderson draws on ideas from new cognitive and evolutionary psychological theories, as well as comparative religion, anthropology, history, and sociology. He argues that religion is a biological adaptation that evolved in order to solve a number of human problems, especially those concerned with existential anxiety and ontological insecurity. Much of the focus of the book is on the Axial Age, the period in the second half of the first millennium BCE that marked the greatest religious transformation in world history. The book demonstrates that, as a result of massive increases in the scale and scope of war and large-scale urbanization, the problems of existential anxiety and ontological insecurity became particularly acute. These changes evoked new religious needs, especially for salvation and release from suffering. As a result entirely new religions-Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism-arose to help people cope with the demands of the new historical era.

Evolution, Culture, and the Human Mind

Mark Schaller,Ara Norenzayan,Steven J. Heine,Toshio Yamagishi,Tatsuya Kameda
Evolution Culture and the Human Mind Book PDF

Author : Mark Schaller,Ara Norenzayan,Steven J. Heine,Toshio Yamagishi,Tatsuya Kameda
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2011-03-17
Category : FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
ISBN : 9781136950506

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Evolution, Culture, and the Human Mind by Mark Schaller,Ara Norenzayan,Steven J. Heine,Toshio Yamagishi,Tatsuya Kameda Pdf

Evolution, Culture, and the Human Mind is the first scholarly book to integrate evolutionary and cultural perspectives on human psychology. The contributors include world-renowned evolutionary, cultural, social, and cognitive psychologists. These chapt.