- 368 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
An updated exploration of the latest scientific research on how the brain makes us believers or skeptics.
"[Shermer] is uniquely equipped to carry out this comprehensive analysis of the nature of belief. . . . Insightful, intriguing, and enlightening." — American Scientist
In this scientific investigation of God and faith, bestselling author and
Scientific American columnist Michael Shermer offers fresh insights into the inner workings of the mind, examining how and why humans create religious laws, turn to apocalyptic myths, and negotiate compromises between science and religion. Drawing on studies in psychiatry, neuroscience, and epidemiology, he explores such phenomena as out-of-body experiences, miraculous coincidences, and extrasensory perception.
Whether believers or nonbelievers, we are all driven by the need to understand the universe and our place in it. How We Believe is a provocative scientific tour of this ancient and mysterious desire.
"Ranges eloquently and learnedly over broad areas of philosophy, theology, and science [to] answer 'the God question.'" — Scientific American
"Unusually useful." — The Washington Post Book World
"Brilliantly explores our propensity to be story-telling animals." — Natural History
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Information
Table of contents
- Epigraph
- Title Page
- Epigraph
- Table of Contents
- PREFACE - The God Question
- INTRODUCTION TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION - The Gradual Illumination of the Mind
- Part I - GOD AND BELIEF
- Part II - RELIGION AND SCIENCE
- AFTERWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION - God on the Brain
- APPENDIX I - What Does It Mean to Study Religion Scientifically? Or, How Social Scientists “Do” Science
- APPENDIX II - Why People Believe in God—The Data and Statistics
- A Bibliographic Essay on Theism, Atheism, and Why People Believe in God
- NOTES
- CREDITS
- INDEX
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Copyright Page