The Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Experience: Decentering and the Self

Description

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Religious Experience, now updated and expanded in a new edition, updates key topics covered in the first edition including: decentering and self-transformation, supernatural agent cognitions, mystical states, religious language, ritualization, and religious group agency. It expands upon the first edition to include major findings on brain and religious experience over the past decade, focusing on methodology, future thinking, and psychedelics. It provides an up-to-date review of brain-based accounts of religious experiences, and systematically examines the rationale for utilizing neuroscience approaches to religion. While it is primarily intended for religious studies scholars, people interested in comparative religion, philosophy of religion, cultural evolution, and personal self-transformation will find an account of how such transformation is accomplished within religious contexts. Review: Extremely good book for those with strong background in neuroscience - This is an extremely good book for those readers with a strong background in neuroscience. In this book. religious experience is regarded as a subject for scientific study much as depression and anxiety. The author being a neuroscientist provide detailed description of the parts of the brain being invovled, and the normal function of those parts. Most importantly, the author provides fascinating theories based on the Predictive Processing Framework and also REM sleep. I read this book because I am interested in how Christianity and Buddhism can provide religious experiences. I am not disaapointed.