Science & Theology News This substantially documented work is a philosophical quest to make sense of the myths and realities shrouding the human soul. Kirkus McGraw’s work is especially noteworthy in that he combines comprehensive historical excavation with the most recent findings on brain functioning. And it's a good read to boot! - Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine A stimulating narrative.and an accessible pathway to the complex intersection of science, philosophy, psychology and religion. an important addition to the pantheon of popular science books. Daniel Liechty, author of Transference and Transcendence. McGraw covers an amazingly broad territory in this fine study. The ambitious scope of the book is balanced by a deeply personal voice whose sympathy for both science and religion is resonant.". From prehistory to postmodernity, Brain & Belief seeks to understand humankind’s obsession with life, death, and the afterlife. Topics in the book range from “The Soul of Plato,” to “Psychoactivity”-a thorough chapter on the significance of psychoactive drugs in human history-to “After Life?”-a fascinating exploration of the conceptions of life after death.
From the visionary art of the prehistoric caves at Chauvet and Lascaux to the latest findings from The Salk Institute in La Jolla, McGraw deftly weaves history and science in an effort to understand the meaning, significance, and future of this all-important concept, crucial to so many religious traditions. In the introduction, McGraw writes: Why bring up the debate about the human soul once again? If thousands of years of careful thinkers could not resolve the arguments, why should we expect anything more? We can now expect better answers-or at least better arguments-because science has provided us with new tools and new information about this all-important matter. "Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul possesses a compelling structure the first part of the book chronologically traces the history of the soul from its basis in prehistoric thought to its canonical placement at the center of Western theological traditions, the second part of the book-in jarring contrast-outlines the developments in neuroscience and psychopharmacology that put traditional ideas about the soul to the test, and the final section of the book illustrates the ramifications of this intersection between the old and the new, the consequences of that perennial clash between science and religion.
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