WHY WE BELIEVE IN GOD(S): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith - Softcover

J. Anderson Thomson Jr.; Clare Aukofer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0984493212 ISBN 13: 9780984493210

Publisher: INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS GROUP, 2011

Synopsis

In this groundbreaking volume, J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD, with Clare Aukofer, offers a succinct yet comprehensive study of how and why the human mind generates religious belief. Dr. Thomson, a highly respected practicing psychiatrist with credentials in forensic psychiatry and evolutionary psychology, methodically investigates the components and causes of religious belief in the same way any scientist would investigate the movement of astronomical bodies or the evolution of life over time--that is, as a purely natural phenomenon. Providing compelling evidence from psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, and related fields, he, with Ms. Aukofer, presents an easily accessible and exceptionally convincing case that god(s) were created by man--not vice versa. With this slim volume, Dr. Thomson establishes himself as a must-read thinker and leading voice on the primacy of reason and science over superstition and religion.

About this title

Review:

'This book about the evolutionary drivers of religiosity would have delighted [Darwin].... One by one the components of religion receive the Thomson treatment. Every point he makes has the ring of truth, abetted by a crisp style and vivid imagery. Andy Thomson is an outstandingly persuasive lecturer, and it shines through his writing. This short, punchy book will be swiftly read—and long remembered.'

—Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, from the foreword of Why We Believe in God(s).

'Andy Thomson, with Clare Aukofer, has written a wonderfully concise introduction to our growing scientific understanding of religion. If you would like to learn, in the span of an hour, why we have every reason to believe that God is man-made—this is the book to read.'

—Sam Harris, author of the New York Times best sellers The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The End of Faith.

Review:

"Ray Dallo, billionaire philanthropist and chairman of the world's largest hedgefund, includes Why We Believe in God(s) in his list of 15 books that everyone from investors to college students should read to understand today's world." -- Business Insider

About this edition

• Publisher: INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS GROUP
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0984493212
• ISBN 13: 9780984493210
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1