Can scientists study religion? Ilkka Pyysiainen says that they can. While the study of religion cannot be reduced to other disciplines, it must not ignore what other disciplines have learned about human thought and behavior. In this collection of essays, Pyysiainen shows how findings from cognitive science can offer new directions to debates in religion. After providing a historical and theoretical overview of the cognitive science of religion, Pyysiainen demonstrates how knowledge of the mind's workings can help deconstruct such concepts as "god," "ideology," "culture," "magic," "miracles," and "religion." For scholars of religion or for scholars of the mind-brain, Magic, Miracles, and Religion provides a helpful overview to this emerging field.
- ISBN10 0759106630
- ISBN13 9780759106635
- Publish Date 1 June 2004
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint AltaMira Press,U.S.
- Format Paperback
- Pages 298
- Language English