Review
'Thanks to evolution we naturally expect there to be a god - or gods - watching over us. Our brains interpret the world around us in ways that created God; the notion of the divine is a scratch on our psychological lenses, says psychologist Jesse Bering. Bering admits that explaining away God in this way is radical and possibly dangerous, but he handles it deftly. His writing is witty, crammed with pop-culture references, and he employs examples and analogies that make his arguments seem like common sense rather than the hard-earned scientific insights they really are. This fascinating book presents gentle, nuanced but convincing arguments for atheism. Bering knows he can't change the world, though. Thoroughly and permanently removing God from our heads would require a neurosurgeon not a science teacher, he says.'
New Scientist
'A balanced and considered approach to this often inflammatory topic'
Nature
'Jesse Bering is a brilliant young psychologist, a gifted storyteller and a very funny man. And his first book, The God Instinct, is a triumph-a moving, provocative, and entertaining exploration of the human search for meaning.'
Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University, author of How Pleasure Works
'There's a place in our minds where God goes. This spellbinding book explains how: We humans find the idea of God inviting because we evolved to perceive minds all around us. Bering's own clever research on children s perceptions of the supernatural is the centerpiece in his rich portrayal of the newly unfolding science of belief in God.'
Daniel M. Wegner, Harvard University, author of The Illusion of Conscious Will
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Since God didn't exist, our human ancestors found it necessary to invent him. In this scintillating book, Jesse Bering explains, with characteristic wit and wisdom, how, in the course of human evolution, God returned the compliment -- by helping individuals, despite themselves, lead better lives. --
--Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor London School of Economics and author of Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness
Since God didn't exist, our human ancestors found it necessary to invent him. In this scintillating book, Jesse Bering explains, with characteristic wit and wisdom, how, in the course of human evolution, God returned the compliment -- by helping individuals, despite themselves, lead better lives. --Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor London School of Economics and author of Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness
New Scientist
'A balanced and considered approach to this often inflammatory topic'
Nature
'Jesse Bering is a brilliant young psychologist, a gifted storyteller and a very funny man. And his first book, The God Instinct, is a triumph-a moving, provocative, and entertaining exploration of the human search for meaning.'
Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University, author of How Pleasure Works
'There's a place in our minds where God goes. This spellbinding book explains how: We humans find the idea of God inviting because we evolved to perceive minds all around us. Bering's own clever research on children s perceptions of the supernatural is the centerpiece in his rich portrayal of the newly unfolding science of belief in God.'
Daniel M. Wegner, Harvard University, author of The Illusion of Conscious Will
----
Since God didn't exist, our human ancestors found it necessary to invent him. In this scintillating book, Jesse Bering explains, with characteristic wit and wisdom, how, in the course of human evolution, God returned the compliment -- by helping individuals, despite themselves, lead better lives. --
--Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor London School of Economics and author of Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness
Since God didn't exist, our human ancestors found it necessary to invent him. In this scintillating book, Jesse Bering explains, with characteristic wit and wisdom, how, in the course of human evolution, God returned the compliment -- by helping individuals, despite themselves, lead better lives. --Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor London School of Economics and author of Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness
Product Description
There is no bigger subject than the newscience of religion. The God Instinct is asurprising and original take on why webelieve in God – and how this belief led toour success as a species.Why does even the most committed atheistturn to God when a family member fallsseriously ill, or they find themselves in closepersonal danger? Using the latest scientificevidence, Jesse Bering explores how people’severyday thoughts, behaviours andemotions betray an innate tendency toreason as though God were deeply investedin their public lives and secret affairs.In this entertaining and thought-provokingbook, he argues that this religious reflex isnot an irrational aberration, and that God isnot a cultural invention or an existentialband-aid, but an intrinsic human trait,developed over millennia, that carriespowerful evolutionary benefits.Breaking new ground, The God Instinct useshard science to show that God is not adelusion, but a sophisticated cognitiveillusion. Bering reveals the roots of religionin our ability to think beyond ourimmediate surroundings, and explains whythis capacity for belief sets us apart fromother animals.From a respected psychologist and awardwinningcolumnist, this is the only book toexplain belief in God from a scientificperspective.Jesse Bering not only presents serious ideasin an accessible and engaging way, but alsotakes a more considered, rational approachthan the extreme views so often found oneither side of the great debate.
