Cognitive Science of Religion and Belief Systems

Description

The book shows how human minds work, focusing on the neuroscience, physiology, cognitive and evolutionary psychology humans use to form their beliefs and belief systems, both religious and non-religious. Topics include the nature, causes and meaning of mystical experiences, Eastern versus Western psychology, brain hemispheres and different ways of processing sensory information, cognitive and evolutionary reasons behind the belief in and conceptions of gods, the epistemological problems caused by symbolic language, the influence of sensory abilities, and the potential influence of artificial intelligence, medicine and technology. _6at4enjywume _k5sl395njbc4 _xtkg357nzlcv _s1zhafkowzrn _3jykq0hsjxpg _cck71l55vnlm _n3z52tc5679o _i0md1re7rfpr _t9t6yp7nsmk9 _u1ygx5nk9rjm _p3thggxvfnr1 _dathsu4nq4j4 _52jmkuvbpf1u _unou3jx7u259 _b4aoplrompw3 About the author 1 Introduction 2 A Brief Summary of the Book 3 A Universe Beyond Humans Senses and Cognition 4 Cognitive Psychology: An Introduction To How Human Brains Work And The Of Limits Of Human Knowledge And Understanding 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The Human Brain Is An Information Processor 4.3 Ambiguity 4.4 The Importance of Speed 4.5 Unconscious Automatic Methods Used To Perceive 4.6 Shape, Form And Pattern Biases 4.7 Imagination 4.8 Perceptions Via Comparison 4.9 Attention 4.10 Vision: What You See Is Different Than What You Look At 4.11 The Unique Subjective Experience 4.12 Automatic Perceptions And Uncorrectable Illusions 4.13 Humans Cannot Know The Reliability Of Their Own Minds 4.14 Final Notes 4.15 Questions 4.16 Further Reading 5 The Brain’s Hemispheres And Different Ways Of Thinking 5.1 Overview 5.2 The Right And Left Hemispheres Of The Brain 5.3 Videos 6 Mystical Experiences 6.1 Overview 6.2 Methods For Obtaining Mystical Experiences 6.3 Mystical Experiences Through Secular Practices 6.4 The Debate About The Nature, Meaning And Authenticity Of The Mystical Experiences 6.5 Mystical Experiences Demonstrate The Artificial Cognitive Constructs Of The Human Mind 6.6 The Mystical Experience Is Explained Through One’s Culture, Language, Beliefs, Sensory Abilities, Biology 6.7 Even Beyond These Differences Caused By The Beliefs, The Experiences Are Still Not Provable Of Truth 6.8 Whether Real Or Not, Mystical Experiences Can Be Life Changing 6.9 Summary: Key Points Of Chapter 6.10 Further Reading 6.11 Questions 7 Mystical Experiences As The Genesis Of Religion, And John Hick’s Pluralism 7.1 Further reading 7.2 Questions 8 Eastern Versus Western Psychology: Introduction 9 Eastern Psychology 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Eastern Psychology, Philosophy And Theology As One Not Separates 9.3 Eastern Psychology Focuses On Everyone, Not Just The Mentally Ill Or Troubled 9.4 Eastern Psychology Is About Looking Inward At The Self 9.5 Eastern Psychotherapy 9.6 Eastern Psychology Is Concerned With Society And Earth, Not Just The Individual 9.7 Question 10 Western Psychology And The Scientific Method 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Western Psychology As A Science 10.3 Structuralism 10.4 Behaviorism 10.5 Looking Inside: Cognitive Psychology 10.6 Limits Of The Scientific Method, Including In Psychology 10.7 Moving Beyond The Limits Of Science in Western Psychology 10.8 Question 11 Summary Of Eastern Versus Western Psychology, And The Differences Between The Spiritual and Scientific Views 11.1 Overview 11.2 Focus: Charles Towne On Religion And Science 11.3 Natural Theology 11.4 Questions 12 The Constant Fight Between The Two Ways Of Thinking 13 Art As Religion Or Spirituality 13.1 Questions 14 Art Perception: Connecting To The Unreal 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Art Perception is Irrational 14.3 Humans interpret art using many of the cognitive methods they use in the real world 14.4 Symbols 14.5 Humans Mentally Adapt To And Accept New And Artificial Worlds 14.6 Each Art Medium Is Limited In What It Can Show Literally 14.7 Speculation, Play Acting, Day and Night Dreams 14.8 Humans Know and Feel There Is More Than What They See And Can Comprehend, More Than What They Experience In Their Day To Day Lives 14.9 Final Notes 14.10 Questions 15 Cognitive Influences Behind Beliefs In And Images of God 15.1 Overview 15.2 The Search And Desire For Order 15.3 The Innate Tendency To Perceive Meaning And Purpose Behind Things And Events 15.4 Humans Perceive Minds Beyond Their Own 15.5 Anthropomorphism 15.6 Humans Perceive Things, Everything, In Human Emotional Terms 15.7 Humans Automatically Apply Narratives And Stories To Things 15.8 Human Thinking, Including About the Existence Of God, Is Influenced By Experience, Education And Culture 15.9 Religious Symbols And Texts Are Figurative And Translations 15.10 One’s Style of Thinking Influences One’s Beliefs 15.11 More Conscious Reasons 15.12 Social Order 15.13 These Processes Neither Prove Nor Disprove The Existence Of God 15.14 Question 16 Narrative And The Perception Of Still Information 16.1 Narrative And Storytelling 16.2 Aleatory Narrative In Art 16.3 Assignment 16.4 Questions 16.5 Further Reading 17 Humans Use False Information And Made Up Beliefs To Function And Achieve 17.1 Overview 17.2 The Rituals of Baseball 17.3 Faith 17.4 Positive Achievement Is Regularly Based On False Beliefs 17.5 Olympic Psychology 17.6 The Idolized 17.7 This Practice in Religion 18 Cognitive Dissonance 18.1 Discussion Topic 19 Attribution Substitution, And Why You Can’t Answer Affirmatively Or Negatively That You Believe In God 19.1 Introduction 19.2 Attribution Substitution 19.3 Art Judgments 19.4 “Do You Believe In God?” 20 Humans Aren’t Totally Or Even Primarily About Finding Truth And Factual Accuracy 20.1 Questions 21 Language and Its Limitations: Introduction 22 Language: Examples Of Ambiguity, Arbitrariness And Limits In Language 22.1 Ambiguity Of Language 22.2 Ludwig Wittgenstein 22.3 The Impossibleness In Translating Poetry 23 Language: Subjective Categorization, Grouping And Prioritizing Of Information 23.1 Overview 23.2 So, If A Tree Falls When No One Is Around Does It Make A Sound? 23.3 Loaded Words 23.4 Discussion Question 24 Language And Models: The Fiction In Science 24.1 Introduction 24.2 The Distortions Of A Map 24.3 A Model Of An Atom 24.4 Organize The Following Into Two Groups Of Related Objects 24.5 The Scientist’s Purpose 24.6 Question 25 Summary Of Language And Its Problems 26 Inborn Survival Drives 27 The Human As Social Animal: Group Psychology, Social Intelligence, Etc 27.1 Overview 27.2 Swarm Intelligence 27.3 Organized Religions 27.4 Further Reading 28 Non-Religious Belief Systems 29 The Effects Of Artificial Intelligence 29.1 Overview 29.2 Studying AI Produces Significant Questions About Humans 30 Modern Medicine, Technology, Transhumanism And Posthumanism 30.1 Introduction 30.2 Medicine 30.3 Psychiatric And Other Drugs To Treat Mental Conditions 30.4 Add On And Implants 30.5 Eugenics, And Gene Editing And Therapy 30.6 Brain-Computer Interfaces 30.7 Expanding Human Senses 30.8 Virtual Reality 30.9 Brain Plasticity And Psychological Treatments 30.10 New Methods Of Communication 30.11 It’s Not Just New Technology, But What You Do With It 30.12 The Future Is Unknown 30.13 Expansion On An Artificial And Arbitrary Construct 30.14 The Brain’s Left Hemisphere 30.15 Changing Society 30.16 Final Notes 30.17 Question 31 Summary And Final Thoughts 32 Book Encompassing Questions