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Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith
 
 

Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith [Kindle Edition]

J. Anderson Thomson , Clare Aukofer , Richard Dawkins
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Amazon.co.uk Review

'This book about the evolutionary drivers of religiosity would have delighted [Darwin].... One by one the components of religion receive the Thomson treatment. Every point he makes has the ring of truth, abetted by a crisp style and vivid imagery. Andy Thomson is an outstandingly persuasive lecturer, and it shines through his writing. This short, punchy book will be swiftly read—and long remembered.'

—Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, from the foreword of Why We Believe in God(s).

'Andy Thomson, with Clare Aukofer, has written a wonderfully concise introduction to our growing scientific understanding of religion. If you would like to learn, in the span of an hour, why we have every reason to believe that God is man-made—this is the book to read.'

—Sam Harris, author of the New York Times best sellers The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The End of Faith.

Product Description

In this groundbreaking work, J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD, with Clare Aukofer, offers a succinct yet comprehensive study of how and why the human mind generates religious belief. Dr. Thomson, a highly regarded psychiatrist known for his studies of suicide terrorism, investigates the components and causes of religious belief in the same way any scientist would investigate the movement of astronomical bodies or the evolution of life over time, that is, as a purely natural phenomenon. Providing compelling evidence from cognitive psychology and the neurosciences, he presents an easily accessible and exceptionally convincing case that god(s) were created by man, not vice versa. With this volume, Dr. Thomson establishes himself as a must-read thinker and leading voice on the primacy of reason and science over superstition and religion. As Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, states in his foreword to Why We Believe in God(s), "This . . . book will be swiftly read--and long remembered."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Perfect Paperback
This is a really interesting read. The ideas in it aren't exactly new, but they have been explained very well and I definitely recommend it to anyone who may be new to this subject. Not only because it is very easy to read, but because it is a short book which will take only hours to complete. A nice ease into the topic I think. As someone who has been reading this kind of material for years, I found that I breezed through it but I still really enjoyed it, thus I also recommend this to readers who are not new to the topic. The topic being, of course...why us humans are so susceptible to believing in gods etc - and as the book demonstrates....there are several reasons....all equally fascinating.

I recommend it to people of faith and also the non religious...it's important that we understand this topic, whether we choose to believe or not. I also really recommend this to anyone very keen on psychology as it is largely a psychological issue.

A good read.
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71 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:Perfect Paperback
I've long wondered why intelligent people can have such irrational religious beliefs, and after reading this book I now have a better understanding. Thomson and Aukofer offer insightful analogies from different fields to explain why it was inevitable that humans would create gods. I was fascinated to see arguments and examples about why "belief" can be more compelling than "truth," and why some people have trouble distinguishing one from the other. This book will give religious believers and atheists alike something new to think about, and they will better understand not only what they believe, but why they believe as they do.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Gods and bogeymen 19 Feb 2012
Format:Perfect Paperback
This short, readable and eminently sensible book is a welcome antidote to today's ongoing hysterical (or cynical) claims by right-wing politicians and religious leaders that religion is being undermined by "militant secularists". I am not a scientist, however I found Dr Anderson Thomson's arguments easy to follow and, for the most part, convincing. Nevertheless, I feel that his book might have benefited if he had paid greater attention to human beings' unique capacity for language. Perhaps the author regards this as being outside his own expertese, but surely, one of the most striking features of most religious practice is its use of empty words. "God", for example is rarely, if ever, defined, except in terms of what "He" is supposed to do, have done, etc., or in terms of what "He" is not. And, in the same way as the author shows that we are predisposed to believe in causal agents to account for natural phenomena, we are surely also similarly disposed to assume that when someone utters a word, that in itself is evidence that the "something" or "someone" to which the word refers must actually exist. However, just like "militant secularists", gods need be no more than bogeymen: imaginary linguistic devices for frightening children.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not bad
I do like this book. it basically lists a number of human brain mechanisms which have led us to believe in things which are not there. Read more
Published 3 months ago by MCKEE
Great book
Great book, powerful tool for someone who needs to argue with religious person... Very good reading. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ads
Concise and systematic
I brought this book after watching the youtube presentation on the Richard Dawkins channel with the same title. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Strangestdude
A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith
Well this book certainly does what it says in the subtitle (used as the title for this comment)!

I enjoyed reading this book, and whilst much material is not entirely... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Simian
Amazing book, brings so much to mind
Absolutely amazing book. It's only small, but it's very well thought out and ram packed with information. Read more
Published 7 months ago by GPSJim
interesting
I found the book very interesting and relatively easy to read.
Maybe it didn't have a much content as I would have hoped, but
earlier reviews did state this so I suppose... Read more
Published 8 months ago by suejb
The road to freedom from religious ignorance
After having read the first chapter of this book, my sentiments were:

If you are negative to this book you are a fool. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Mero
All is now clear
Great little easy to read book , ties together various strands and gives a plausible explanation of why we tend to believe in fantasies
Published 10 months ago by M. Griffiths
Childlike Explanations?
If you believe in God and prefer not to be irritated or challenged somewhat, then perhaps you will be happier not reading this book. Read more
Published 11 months ago by AfterThought
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Popular Highlights

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Genuine morality is doing what is right regardless of what we may be told; religious morality is doing what we are told. &quote;
Highlighted by 73 Kindle users
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Most religions are preoccupied with sex, and that in itself offers strong evidence that religion is man-made. &quote;
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This is called decoupled cognition, and it is key to religious belief. &quote;
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