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The Belief Instinct: The Psychology Of Souls, Destiny, And The Meaning Of Life (2011)

by Jesse Bering(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393072991 (ISBN13: 9780393072990)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: This book is about how our understanding of God, and ideas of life and death, are shaped (were shaped?) by evolution and biology. The author argues that we needed God to explain the things we didn't understand and to provide a moral compass, but that in today's world a personal God both is both "unnecessary and highly unlikely." I'm not sure I understood everything, but I found some interesting things to chew on.
review 2: Not quite as much fun as his other book, Why is the Penis Shaped Like That?, but pretty interesting nonetheless. The psychology was a little science-y even for me, but I always enjoy reading about our evolutionary pasts, and how so much of what we do as humans, even invent gods, has an evolutionary function. The idea of theory of mind, wh... moreich is what sets humans apart from other animals, ultimately, is definitely worth the read. less

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