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The Biology of Religious Behavior |
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The Evolutionary Origins of Faith and Religion |
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Edited by Jay R. Feierman |
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Imprint
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Praeger
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Publication Date |
06/2009 |
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Subject
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Religion
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Pages |
301 |
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Volumes |
1 |
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Size |
6 1/8x9 1/4 |
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Format |
Price |
ISBN |
ISBN-13 |
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$49.95
£34.95 |
0-313-36430-3 |
978-0-313-36430-3 |
| eBook |
Call |
0-313-36431-1 |
978-0-313-36431-0 |
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Description
Offers a fresh and detailed take on the evolution of religious behavior from a biobehavioral perspective, promoting a new understanding that may help build bridges across the religious divide.
Religious conflict and divisiveness have been important themes in human history, and their effects are no less evident today. The scientific study of religion cannot by itself mend these divisions, but by enhancing our understanding of behavior, it can make an important contribution towards that end.
There has been much recent interest in the study of religion from the perspective of Darwinian evolution. The Biology of Religious Behavior: The Evolutionary Origins of Faith and Religion offers a broad overview of the topic, written by internationally recognized experts. In addition to its primary focus on religious behavior, the book addresses other important aspects of religion, such as values, beliefs, and emotions as they affect behavior.
The contributors approach the evolution of religion by examining the behavior of individuals in their everyday lives. After describing various religious behaviors, the contributors consider the behaviors with reference to their evolutionary history, development during the lifetime of the individual, proximate causes, and adaptive value. Happily, this foray into understanding religion from a biobehavioral perspective demonstrates that, at the biological and behavioral levels, what unites the different religions of the world is far greater than what divides them.
Testimonials
"Many books on evolution and religion are for religion or against religion. This one is about religion...Full of new ideas and details from across millennia and diverse cultures, it is, as the editor and authors emphasize, just a beginning. However, it is a valuable beginning to an important and heretofore neglected project."
-Randolph M. Nesse
Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology
The University of Michigan
"...a fabulous and important contribution to an evolutionary understanding of religious thinking and behavior. In a world torn by interreligious strife and the conflict between faith and reason, few things are more important than helping religious people across the theological spectrum take to heart that our deepest religious impulses and actions are rooted in our biological nature. Every thinking religious person should read this book."
-Michael Dowd
author of Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World
"...this well organized book provides some fascinating material for sociologists and others who wish to broaden their understanding of religion from an evolutionary bio-behavioral perspective...This volume clearly demonstrates the importance of the biobehavioral perspective in advancing our understanding of religion."
-Doyle Paul Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Texas Tech University
"...essential reading for anyone interested in the biological foundation of religion...filled with novel insights, theoretical and methodological advances, as well as new empirical studies that further our understanding of religious behavior. This volume fills a significant gap in religious scholarship and is a most welcome contribution to the field."
-Richard Sosis
Department of Anthropology
University of Connecticut
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Highlights |
- Attempts to explain the link between biology and religious behavior
- Takes a multidisciplinary approach, offering new insights into religious beliefs and behavior that may help bridge religious divisions
- Demonstrates that religious belief and behavior have evolved in a similar fashion for all religions
- Provides a means of understanding how religion could have evolved, spread, and become what it is today
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