Theos-Talk Archives (July 2001 Message tt00086)

This was posted to
alt.religion.christian,alt.religion.christian-teen,alt.christnet,alt.rel
igion.christian.roman-catholic

By Dan Fake - I thought it is of interest given the second object.....
(don't be shy people...discussion is good ;) )



Thanks to posts in alt.atheism and talk.philosophy.humanism,
I discovered the following book, recently published, which 
offers a vivid and focused explanation for the naturalistic 
processes involved in the origins and progression of religion
in human societies across the globe, from the perspective of
cultural anthropology ...

Anthropology, Cultural
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=117536 

Religion Explained,
by Pascal Boyer
Hardcover - 300 pages (May 22, 2001) 
Basic Books; ISBN: 0465006957 ; 
Dimensions (in inches): 1.33 x 9.52 x 6.49 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0465006957

Review from Library Journal:

"Utilizing cross-cultural studies and a multidisciplinary 
approach, anthropologist Boyer (Luce Professor of 
Collective Memory and Individual Memory, Washington 
Univ.) argues that the origin, development, and diversity 
of religion are scientifically explainable within the naturalistic 
frameworks of evolutionary biology and cognitive psychol-
ogy. 

His point of departure is the complex human brain and its 
mental activity, both being a result of natural selection 
enhancing the adaptation, survival, and reproductive suc-
cess of our social ancestors through over four million years 
of hominid evolution. 

Boyer focuses on the inference systems and intuitive expec-
tations of evolved human brain capacities to account for 
the biocultural origin of religious concepts and supernatural 
agents (e.g., gods, ghosts, demons, spirits, and witches). 

He is to be commended for his scholarly and critical examin-
ation of religion. Some readers may find his arguments difficult 
to follow and to accept, but this is nevertheless a significant 
contribution to anthropology. Especially recommended for 
academic libraries. H. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, NY 
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Dan Fake, Pro-Humanist FREELOVER
http://home.att.net/~danfake
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~