"Is Man the product of a God...or is ""God"" the product of human evolution?
From the dawn of our species, every human culture-no matter how isolated-has believed in some form of a spiritual realm. According to author Matthew Alper, this is no mere coincidence but rather due to the fact that humans, as a species, are genetically predisposed to believe in the universal concepts of a god, a soul and an afterlife. This instinct to believe is the result of an evolutionary adaptation-a coping mechanism-that emerged in our species to help us survive our unique and otherwise debilitating awareness of death.
Spiritual seekers and atheists alike will be compelled and transformed by Matthew Alper's classic study of science and religion. The 'God' Part of the Brain has gained critical acclaim from some of the world's leading scientists, secular humanists, and theologians, and is as a must read for anyone who has pondered the question of God's existence, as well as the meaning of our own."
By:
Matthew Alper
Imprint: Sourcebooks, Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 203mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 38mm
Weight: 329g
ISBN: 9781402214523
ISBN 10: 1402214529
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 September 2008
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Prologue BOOK I: THEORY'S EVOLUTION Chapter 1: Throwing Rocks at God Chapter 2: What Is Science? Chapter 3: A Very Brief History of Time or Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Universe but Were Afraid to Ask Chapter 4: Kant Chapter 5: God as Word Chapter 6: Universal Behavioral Patterns BOOK II: INTRO TO BIOTHEOLOGY Chapter 7: The ""Spiritual"" Function Jung Universal Spiritual Beliefs and Practices The Argument For a Spiritual Function Chapter 8: The Rationale The Origin of Mortal Consciousness The Pain Function The Anxiety Function When Mortal Consciousness Meets the Anxiety Function Advent of the Spiritual Function The Origins of Immortal and God Consciousness Chapter 9: The ""Spiritual"" Experience Origins of the Spiritual Experience The Ego Function The Transcendental Function Chapter 10: Drug-Induced God Chapter 11: The ""Spiritual"" Gene Chapter 12: The Prayer Function Chapter 13: Religious Conversion Chapter 14: Why Are There Atheists? Chapter 15: Near-Death Experiences Chapter 16: Speaking in Tongues Chapter 17: Why Is America So Religious? A Bio-Historical Hypothesis Chapter 18: The Guilt and Morality Functions Chapter 19: The Logic of God: A New ""Spiritual"" Paradigm Chapter 20: What, If Anything, Is to Be Gained from a Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God? Epilogue: Quest's End Addendum: Experiments That Might Help Prove the Existence of a Spiritual Function Endnotes Bibliography Index About the Author"
Matthew Alper (New York City) graduated from SUNY Stonybrook with a BA in philosophy. He has worked as an electrician in England, a photographer's assistant in New York, a fifth-grade and high school history teacher in Brooklyn, a truck smuggler in Africa, a tutor in the Philippines, and a screenwriter in Germany.
