Synopses & Reviews
andlt;iandgt;Born to Believeandlt;/iandgt; was previously published in hardcover as andlt;iandgt;Why We Believe What We Believeandlt;/iandgt;. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Prayer...meditation...speaking in tongues. What do these spiritual activities share and how do they differ? Why do some people believe in God, while others embrace atheism? From the ordinary to the extraordinary, beliefs give meaning to the mysteries of life. They motivate us, provide us with our individual uniqueness, and ultimately change the structure and function of our brains. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; In andlt;iandgt;Born to Believeandlt;/iandgt;, Andrew Newberg, MD, and Mark Waldman reveal -- for the very first time -- how our complex views, memories, superstitions, morals, and beliefs are created by the neural activities of the brain. Supported by groundbreaking original research, they explain how our brains construct our deepest convictions and fondest assumptions about reality and the world around us. Using science, psychology, and religion, the authors offer recommendations for exercising your brain in order to develop a more life-affirming, flexible range of attitudes. Knowing how the brain builds meaning, value, spirituality, and truth into your life will change forever the way you look at yourself and the world.
Review
"Should be required reading for every person, young and old, who has the courage to open his or her mind and explore the biological basis of belief." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- Sandra Blakeslee, author of andlt;iandgt;The Body Has a Mind of Its Ownandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Our beliefs are the most precious things we possess. But how do we get them? Newberg and Waldman propose a thoughtful, well-documented, biological hypothesis...[that is] fascinating for believers and nonbelievers alike." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; -- Dean Hamer, PhD, geneticist and author of andlt;iandgt;Living with Our Genesandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;The God Geneandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
Born to Believe was previously published in hardcover as Why We Believe What We Believe.
Prayer...meditation...speaking in tongues. What do these spiritual activities share and how do they differ? Why do some people believe in God, while others embrace atheism? From the ordinary to the extraordinary, beliefs give meaning to the mysteries of life. They motivate us, provide us with our individual uniqueness, and ultimately change the structure and function of our brains.
In Born to Believe, Andrew Newberg, MD, and Mark Waldman reveal -- for the very first time -- how our complex views, memories, superstitions, morals, and beliefs are created by the neural activities of the brain. Supported by groundbreaking original research, they explain how our brains construct our deepest convictions and fondest assumptions about reality and the world around us. Using science, psychology, and religion, the authors offer recommendations for exercising your brain in order to develop a more life-affirming, flexible range of attitudes. Knowing how the brain builds meaning, value, spirituality, and truth into your life will change forever the way you look at yourself and the world.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Andrew Newberg, MDandlt;/bandgt;, is an associate professor of Radiology and Psychiatry and an adjunct assistant professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and also director of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind. He is co-author of andlt;Iandgt;Why God Won't Go Awayandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Mystical Mindandlt;/iandgt;. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.andlt;bandgt;Mark Robert Waldmanisandlt;/bandgt; an associate fellow at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. A therapist and the author of nine books, he founded the academic journal andlt;Iandgt;Transpersonal Reviewandlt;/iandgt;. He lives in Agoura, California.
Table of Contents
Contents
PART I HOW THE BRAIN MAKES OUR REALITY
1 The Power of Belief
2 A Mountain of Misperceptions: Searching for Beliefs in a Haystack of Neurons
3 Reality, Illusions, and the Aunt Who Cried Wolf: The Construction of Perceptual Beliefs
4 Santa Claus, Lucky Numbers, and the Magician in Our Brain: The Biology of Conceptual Beliefs
PART II CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND MORALITY
5 Parents, Peas, and "Putty Tats": The Development of Childhood Beliefs
6 Ordinary Criminals Like You and Me: The Gap between Behavior and Moral Beliefs
PART III SPIRITUAL BELIEFS AND THE BRAIN
7 Nuns, Buddhists, and the Reality of Spiritual Beliefs
8 Speaking in Tongues
9 The Atheist Who Prayed to God
10 Becoming a Better Believer
Epilogue: Life, the Universe, and Our "Ultimate" Beliefs
Endnotes
Acknowledgments
Index