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Why We Believe
Evolution and the Human Way of Being
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Why We Believe
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book is ideal for readers interested in anthropology, evolutionary science, psychology, and philosophy, as well as anyone curious about the roots of human belief systems beyond religion. Scholars, students, and thoughtful general readers will find it particularly enlightening.
A wide-ranging argument by a renowned anthropologist that the capacity to believe is what makes us human
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Description
A wide-ranging argument by a renowned anthropologist that the capacity to believe is what makes us human.
Why are so many humans religious? Why do we daydream, imagine, and hope? Philosophers, theologians, social scientists, and historians have offered explanations for centuries, but their accounts often ignore or even avoid human evolution. Evolutionary scientists respond with proposals for why ritual, religion, and faith make sense as adaptations to past challenges or as by-products of our hyper-complex cognitive capacities.
But what if the focus on religion is too narrow? Renowned anthropologist Agustín Fuentes argues that the capacity to be religious is actually a small part of a larger and deeper human capacity to believe. Why believe in religion, economies, love?
A fascinating intervention into some of the most common misconceptions about human nature, Why We Believe employs evolutionary, neurobiological, and anthropological evidence to argue that belief—the ability to commit passionately and wholeheartedly to an idea—is central to the human way of being in the world.
Series: Foundational Questions in Science
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Why efforts to create a scientific basis of morality are neither scientific nor moral In this illuminating book, James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky trace the origins and development of the centuries-long, passionate, but ultimately failed quest to discover a scientific foundation for morality. The “new moral science” led by such figures as E. O. Wilson, Patricia Churchland, Sam Harris,...Paperback$4099Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Why We Believe
A wide-ranging argument by a renowned anthropologist that the capacity to believe is what makes us human. Why are so many humans religious? Why do we daydream, imagine, and hope? Philosophers, theologians, social scientists, and historians have offered explanations for centuries, but their accounts often ignore or even avoid human evolution. Evolutionary scientists respond with proposals for why ritual, religion,...Hardback$5399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised for its engaging and comprehensive approach, Why We Believe offers a pioneering perspective on the origins and evolution of belief. Luis Oviedo highlights it as an essential contribution to understanding belief as part of the human niche, while Barbara J. King commends its fresh insights on early Homo sapiens and compelling case studies. Guy P. Harrison calls it an exciting and illuminating intellectual journey across culture, neurobiology, and more, helping readers better understand themselves and humanity.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780300243994
Publisher: Yale University Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 14 January 2020
Country: United States
Imprint: Yale University Press
Illustration: 8 b-w illus.
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 210.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 280
About the Author
Agustín Fuentes is a Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University. He is an active public scientist, a well-known blogger, lecturer, tweeter, and an explorer for National Geographic. Fuentes received the Inaugural Communication & Outreach Award from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, the President’s Award from the American Anthropological Association, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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