Can We be Good without God?: Biology, Behavior and the Need to Believe (Hardcover)

Early societies used this foundation to establish "animism," a "primitive" [he doesn't like the term, but it's "useful"] form of religion. Animism then evolved by reducing the number of spirits attributed with the powers of nature. In our society, this number was finally reduced to one, an All-Powerful One. This winnowing was accompanied by the establishment of a hierarchy to interpret phenomenon for the remainder of the populace. Shamans/priests became the explainers of divine edicts, often able to direct the activities of the entire society. Every unusual phenomenon required interpretation and this circumstance still leads to the establishment of "new religions" such as the "cargo cults" among Pacific Islanders today. "Faith" is a highly dynamic social force in Buckman's view. These aren't new ideas, but Buckman's summary in opening the book is among the better efforts.

Buckman accepts that the human "need to believe" is an immense force. In his chapter on "Worship" he examines the social and individual expressions of who and what we revere. He uses Thomas Carlyle as an example of the idea that heroes [and deities] are born, and not thrown up by circumstances - "the man makes the times." To Buckman, Carlyle's ideas fit admirably with the notion of gods emerging from nothing, commanding attention and respect. Myths and legends grow relating their behaviour and these become teaching tools applied to the rest of society. The result is the establishment of "Function and Value" of belief. These are essentially the comforting aspects of belief - explaining the unknown with understandable stories that become tradition. Why should Hitler and Napoleon have become successful against all reason? They provided living legends accepted by a wide spectrum of the populace.

Why are these anomalous figures and their mythologies so readily adopted as illustrious? Buckman moves on to an enlightening discussion of what happens in our brains to make these circumstances seem real or desirable. He cites the work of one English and two Canadian researchers in the brain's functions. Based on work originally done to explain the workings of epilepsy, Wilder Penfield and Michael Persinger have demonstrated how easily the brain can be fooled into simulating various types of feelings, from well-being to outright visions. These emotions are tied in with operations of the right temporal lobe, and may even be generated by the body's internal chemistry. While they are all individual responses, the patterns appear to be nearly universal. If they occur associated with outside events, the subject readily equates the feeling with the incident. Gods, myths, heroic figures and legends readily become associated. The temporal lobe, according to Buckman, may be the place of origin for our beliefs.

Buckman thus concludes that an enhanced understanding of the source of many of the emotions and behaviours associated with belief can redirect how and what we believe. By dissociating our "normal" values and ethics from an "external intelligence" we can focus more directly on our own resources in establishing these social mores. The Golden Rule, he argues, is an excellent basis for human behaviour. We need only recognize that it is a human value to follow and not a divinely inspired one.

Buckman's overview of the elements of faith and behaviour should be required reading in every church and school. As an avowed humanist, Buckman's thesis reflects his belief that humanity can make rational decisions. He offers an excellent collection of readings to supplement his contentions and to assist those seeking ideas on how to implement a more rational society. It can be done, and reading this book is a giant first step in achieving a society devoid of misdirected faith. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]