How Religion Works: Towards a New Cognitive Science of Religion

Customer Reviews:

Towards a New Cognitive Science of Religion.......2005-01-26

Pyysiäinen applies the philosophies and theories of thinkers that include Émile Durkhiem, Mircea Eliade, Jerry Fodor, Clifford Geertz and Robert McCauley in this analysis of the cognitive basis of religion. Central themes include religion and culture, religion and society, ritual and emotion, and ethics.

Arguing, perhaps controversially, that mechanisms underlying religious thought and behavior are something that can be naturally explained in the same manner as any other cultural and cognitive phenomena, the author examines how cognitive science can shed light on religious phenomena. After defining the ideas and behaviors to be studied, he argues that cognitive theories of the representation of agency and counter- intuitiveness can make sense of the widespread belief in supernatural beings. The theories of religion of Geertz and Durkheim are examined and criticized as arbitrary abstractions. In the end, Pyysiäinen argues that religion should be understood both as a distinct cognitive phenomena and as being related to other phenomena of counter-intuitiveness revealed in empirical studies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Ch. 1 Introduction: Cognitive Approach to Religion 1
The Category of 'Religion' 1
The Cognitive Approach 5
Ch. 2 God and Transcendence 9
'God' as an Emic Concept 9
Superhuman Beings, Religion and Science 12
Intentional Agents 14
Counter-Intuitiveness of Gods 18
Ch. 3 Religion and Culture 25
Geertz and the Concept of 'Culture' 25
Geertz and Symbolism 33
Geertz on Religion as a Symbolic Cultural System 44
Ch. 4 Religion and the Social 55
On the Sociological Background of Durkheim's Theory of Religion 55
Religion and Society 59
Religion as Symbolic of the Society - A Critique 63
Religion and Society Reconsidered 70
Ch. 5 Religious Belief, Experience, and Ritual 77
Ritual and Emotion 78
What is Emotion? 97
On the Neurophysiology of Emotion 102
Religious Experience, "Mysticism" and Emotions 109
Ch. 6 Religion, "Worldview," and Ethics 143
Religion as "Worldview" 143
An Outline of Ethics as a Field of Study 158
Religious Ethics 173
Ch. 7 Religion and Cognition: Towards a New Science of Religion 197
Domain Specificity 197
Cognitive Modules 199
Intuitive Theories and Cognitive Domains 208
Is Religion a Cognitive Domain? 215
References 237
Index of Names 267
Index of Subjects 270

Book Description

In this wonderful folk carving book, Shane Campbell takes you step-by-step through the process of carving two attractive wooden figures. The first is an articulated angel named Ruby and the second is a whirligig figure named Angelene. Project patterns and over 260 color photographs accompany the straightforward directions. Shane also provides instructions for both painting folk figures and for aging them using a method that is delightfully simple and effective. A color gallery rounds out the book and provides examples of additional folk figures sure to provide every reader with new ideas. This book has something to offer everyone from the beginner to the most advanced wood carver., 260+ color photos, 6 patterns, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

Distorted Perspective.......2006-05-11

Opportunistically takes advantage of the current stereotypes of the Muslim world. Incorrect and skewed portrayal of Islam. Takes one tiny aspect and zooms in. How is a picture of people praying to God an image of "militant" anything? Abbas is a professional photographer, so he makes a living from his pictures. But this is simply taking advantage of the current mood to make a mint for himself. It does educate, vivify, inspire or teach. He is hiding behind the cover of the great Magnum Photos umbrella. If you really want to see what photojournalism of different cultures is like, see Cartier-Bresson's book about India. Poor HCB must be turning in his grave.

Incredible Pictures of Muslim World.......2004-12-25

Mr. Abbas, a long-standing member of the internationally renowned Magnum photo agency, has made a memorable photographic record of his journey inside and around the "muslim world". Traveling in 29 countries, from Iran to Saudia Arabia to United States to China, Abbas documents Muslim life and tries to make sense of what he sees for himself and the reader.

Mr. Abbas has been a witness at some of the world's most memorable moments. He was on the plane with Ayatollah Kohmeni when his plane landed in Tehran returning him from exhile. And he stayed in Iran throughout the revolution (both before and after). In this book he brings you calmer moments (mostly) but no less memorable. He has an incredible photograph of "The Rock" in Mecca -- a sight I would love to see with my own eyes but know that I never will be able to.

This book has it flaws -- it is rare to find a book you cannot quibble with. Sometimes, I feel that in some country he hasn't gotten beneath the surface enough. And some of his images are cliche, yes. But to my mind that does not diminsh the power of the majority of images here, which are truly remarkable.

Don't believe the hype.......2002-01-20

This beautiful coffee--table book of black and white photos is not well-represented by the excerpts available. Yes, the section on Iran has many pictures of frothing-at-the-mouth mobs surging through the streets, brandishing fists and assault rifles. No, the rest of the book is nothing like that. There are some ghastly pictures of war dead in the section on Kuwait, and the inevitable images of uzi-toting worshippers at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, but nothing else like the featured parts. The book is much more sensitive and insightful than that.

Iran-born Magnum photographer Abbas traveled through the Islamic world, searching for manifestations of militant Islam. (It's too bad he didn't collaborate with V. S. Naipaul in his research on the very similar subject of Islam in non--Arabic countries.) What he came up with were images that show the unifying (or uniformity-imposing, if you prefer) power of Islam. Everywhere he goes, he finds the same images: Schoolchildren bobbing and chanting over their Korans, tumbledown cemeteries where the dead are honored on Fridays, funerals, women and girls in hijab going about their daily business, men lolling on carpets in mosques reading the Koran, people stopping in their tracks to perform their prayers, and etc.

There are also many delightful surprises: Schoolgirls in hijab cloaks playing basketball, ballerinas in a muslim former Soviet republic, a long--haired dervish in full flight with drum and tambourine leggings, a emotional Kuwaiti woman talking with an almost as emotional female American soldier after the liberation of Kuwait City, a bearded elder walking past a clutch of Pakistani teens in Britain who radiate "Cool Britannia".

Some of the surprises are not delightful. We see a Christian in Sudan being tried and then flogged in a shariah court for drinking alcohol. A sheep in an English barbershop, cows in Indonesia, and camels in the pilgrimage places in Saudi Arabia are all sacrificed in performance of Islamic rites. Shiite Muslims lashing and lacerating themselves in one of their ceremonies.

But throughout there are many images of pure photographic beauty. Baobab trees are shown in spiky, inky silhouette above a cemetery. Rows of white--cloaked women at prayer in Jakarta stretch beyond the border of the photo. Young Senegalese men pose in front of a tangle of limbs and vines after an initiation ceremony. Really gorgeous stuff, quite beyond the power of this amateur.

The unobtrusive text tells of Abbas' travels among these peoples. He strikes out in the U. S. with the Nation of Islam, who quickly clam up and deny him access. He gets along fine with the Indonesian Muslims, and even has to coax statements of discontent out of them. (This visit was before the eruption of religious rioting in that country). His lack of religion causes him to frequently despair of understanding his subjects--a lack of confidence thankfully not shared by his camera.

Allah O Akbar: A Journey Through Militant Islam.......2001-07-25

The Iranian-born photographer Abbas, a staff photographer for Magnum Photos in Paris, travelled in twenty-nine Muslim countries from West Africa to China in an effort to try the pulse and flavor of fundamentalist Islam. Abbas, who makes no bones about the fact that his religion is artistic creativity, finds the whole phenomenon slightly repulsive even as it fascinates him.

The hundreds of black-and-white pictures in "Allah O Akbar" will likewise repulse and fascinate the reader, as will Abbas's fast-moving, intelligent text telling of his experiences as a photographer. Violence and death features prominently in these pictures, from the Qur'anic teacher in the Sudan bearing a whip to a profusion of slaughtered animal parts to the appalling parade of young Iranian men triumphantly carrying the corpse of a prostitute they had burnt to death. Many fascinating pictures concern women: one very modestly covered Algerian art student diligently paints a naked male statue while an Egyptian zoology student covered from head to toe (including black gloves) looks from under her cowl into a microscope. An Afghan bride participates in a marriage ceremony at which the groom is represented only by his picture (he's off in Germany); a belly dancer performs in a social club at a Renault company social club in France; and two women sit together on a Moroccan beach, one veiled and the other in a tanktop swimming suit.

Middle East Quarterly, June 1995

Reinforcing negative stereotypes........2000-08-13

The apparent contempt that the author has for his subject, Islam and the Muslim world, makes this an unfortunately one-dimensional book, lacking in both insight and sensitivity. Through his highly subjective choice of photographic material the author has succeeded in heightening every prejudice, reinforcing every misconception, and exacerbating the deepening divide between the Islamic and Western worlds. The subject of Abbas' interviews implies that Muslims the world over are as ignorant as they are belligerent. He certainly confirms his reputation as "one of the few photographers who can raise photojournalism to an art form" but the only cost of sensationalism is honesty. A small price to pay for the artist who would rather 'inspire' than depict the truth in all its banality. He states that "poverty is not natural" and maintains that "young people find refuge in the Koran and in Islamist institutions when racism and chronic unemployment become unbearable." The shallow implication of this statement being that those who can attain relative gains (i.e. people with jobs) will not need the emotional and spiritual crutch provided by religion. But does spiritual hunger always arise from material limitation and need? Caricatures will suffice for the childish mind. Black and white photography dramatises contrast. It is my hope, however, that there will be readers who realise that not everything is black and white.

Customer Reviews:

Mediocre and unimaginative.......2006-07-13

The summary:
Skraag is a rotting dump of a "city" buillt atop a much older dwarvern setlement and inhabited by 25,000 orcs, hobgoblins, and goblins. Several decades ago, the Orc hordes decimated the dwaven inhabitants and now rule the city. One cunning Orc chief governs the city and serves as the "mayor". Another clever Orc chief commands the standing garrison that protects the city. There is some tension between the two orc chiefs. Life is hard for the average inhabitant and many are slaves. Some dwaves who are descendents of the founders of the city now fight a guerilla war in the caverns beneath the city against its brutish occupants. That's it.

One would expect that a book detailing a fantasy city of a non-human race would be the proverbial "clean sheet of paper" for the designer to exercise some creativity. Alas for Skraag, this is not the case. The major NPCs are uninspiring and there does not seem to be any interesting features to the city itself. The treatment of orcs does not go into very much detail other than conforming to the "brutish occupants" image.

The hallmark of a good RPG supplement is that it should generate lots of inspiration and excitement that would make the players and Gamemaster want to dive into it at once. There should be intersting ideas, unique characters, plot hooks and intriguing mini-storylines. Sadly none are evident here.

Book Description

The Fact Book is an in-depth view—quantitative in nature—of the global custody industry. Key areas explored are worldwide assets-in-custody, country rankings, market share trends, securities lending balances and basis points spreads and subcustodian network expansions plans. New for 2004 is a closer review of the explosive asset class of alternative investments. This edition includes numerous tables and charts which highlight the important trends.

Book Description

In the foreword to Supply Chain Structures, Professor Paul Zipkin notes three global changes that have enabled the recent vast developments in the field of supply chains. Moreover, these changes may be only the beginning and more change is likely in the fast-moving field of supply chain management. These global changes are:

the explosive growth of the Internet;
the growth in free-market economies with the corresponding political interest in global economic stability; and
the emergence of a global managerial culture focused on performance, quality, and service.

Professor Zipkin goes on to say "In Supply Chain Structures, the editors Jeannette Song and David Yao have collected a spectrum of approaches to these challenges from some of the leading scholars of supply chains, from both the academic and commercial worlds. Each of the articles offers an interesting and illuminating way to think about the key issues in supply chain management. Some also offer practical techniques to solve important problems. Together they provide an excellent survey of the current state of the art in research and practice."

Average customer rating:

History and Uniformologist

This book was an excellent thriller and it really gripped me

British Army On Campaign (2) 1854-56 : The Crimea (Men at Arms Series, 196)
Michael Barthorp
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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The Russian Army of the Crimean War 1854-56 (Men-at-Arms)

The British Army on Campaign (4): 1882-1902 (Men-at-Arms)

Queen Victoria's Enemies (3) : India (Men at Arms Series, 219)

The Indian Mutiny (Men-At-Arms Series, 67)

The Sudan Campaigns 1881-98 (Men-at-Arms)

ASIN: 0850458277
Release Date: 1987-11-26

Book Description

In 1854 the British Army was committed to its first major war against a European power since 1815. The expeditionary force, or 'Army of the East', was despatched to Turkey nominally to support the Ottoman Empire in its war with Russia; but in reality to check, in alliance with France and later Sardinia, Russian ambitions for an outlet to the Mediterranean. Despite many failures in the conduct of operations and administration, the war was won in two years and Russian designs on the Balkans and Levant were thwarted for two decades.

Customer Reviews:

History and Uniformologist.......2000-08-30

This book cover not only the uniforms use in the Crimea War but it gave you a great introduction on what,why,and how this war was fougth by the British Army, the book also cover the importants of this war for the security of the Britains colonial possesions.

Inside you can find Uniforms, Fighting Methods, Equipment and Weapons.

The text is accompanied by numerous illustration and Photos, including eight full page colour plates by Pierre Turner.

To finish I would like to add that this war make some great changes in the form of fighting use by the British also major changes in uniforms and tactics of war.

This book was an excellent thriller and it really gripped me.......1999-02-21

This book was about the hardships that the British had to go through during this war and what young men had to do to stay alive besides the fighting.

Average customer rating:

A good solid book !

The British Army of the Crimea
J. B. R. Nicholson
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

The British Army's involvement in the Crimean War of 1854-56 is often remembered only for the ill-advised 'charge of the Light Brigade' during the battle of Sevastopol as memorialized in Tennyson's poem. Nevertheless, the British Army, together with the French and Turkish armies, posed a formidable threat to Russia's expansionist ambitions. This book examines the uniforms of the various branches of the British Army involved in the conflict, including general officers and staff, artillery, infantry and the most colourful branch of all - the cavalry. Numerous illustrations, including rare contemporary photographs depict the army's uniforms in vivid detail.

Customer Reviews:

A good solid book !.......2005-07-02

If you just think that the charge of the light brigade was the whole fight in the Crimean War, then take some time and check this book out. This war was the start of the birth of the Modern British Army. Yes, that war was so bloody awful that it caused the start of the reform of one of the most conservative institutions in history. Picture the the US Army of WWII fighting in Iraq today with the same equipment,systems and you start to get the idea. As an added bonus the Uniform Illustrations are great.

THE BRITISH ARMY ON CAMPAIGN 1816-1902 : THE CRIMEA 1854-56

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THE BRITISH ARMY ON CAMPAIGN 1816-1902 : THE CRIMEA 1854-56
MICHAEL BARTHROP
Manufacturer: OSPREY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SD7F52

Men at Arms No. 196 - the British Army on Campaign 1816 - 1902 (2) the Crimea 1854 - 56

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Men at Arms No. 196 - the British Army on Campaign 1816 - 1902 (2) the Crimea 1854 - 56
Michael Barthorp
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUEQ6I

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THE BRITISH ARMY OF THE CRIMEA

Manufacturer: Osprey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GR547Q

The British Army on Campaign 1816-1902 (2): tHE cRIMEA 1854-56

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The British Army on Campaign 1816-1902 (2): tHE cRIMEA 1854-56
Barthorp. Michael
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TKFEUM

The Commissariat in the Crimea: Being remarks on those parts of the Commission of Enquiry into the Supplies of the British Army in the Crimea, which relate to the duties of the Commissariat

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The Commissariat in the Crimea: Being remarks on those parts of the Commission of Enquiry into the Supplies of the British Army in the Crimea, which relate to the duties of the Commissariat
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Manufacturer: W. Clowes and sons
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In the District court of the United States for the eastern district of Pennsylvania: United States vs. Henry Hertz et. al., charged with hiring and retaining ... the British foreign legion, for the Crimea

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In the District court of the United States for the eastern district of Pennsylvania: United States vs. Henry Hertz et. al., charged with hiring and retaining ... the British foreign legion, for the Crimea
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Report upon the State of the Hospitals of the British Army in the Crimea and Scutari, Together with an Appendix

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Report upon the State of the Hospitals of the British Army in the Crimea and Scutari, Together with an Appendix
Florence Nightingale
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Binding: Paperback
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The Turkish Order of the Medjidie Awarded to Officers of the British Army and Royal Navy for Services in the Crimea

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The Turkish Order of the Medjidie Awarded to Officers of the British Army and Royal Navy for Services in the Crimea
Unknown
Manufacturer: The Orders and Medals Society of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SJAODG

Customer Reviews:

Get this one.......2007-05-04

First of all I'm not an old west officianado, and most every critique of old west books I've seen people always want to go into some rant about the voracity of this story or that. Well, I'll bet even the experts will own a copy of this book even if they claim not to like it. The wealth and wide range of old west personas in this book is everything I hoped it would be. Every entry offers something interesting and you get a real feel of how things must have really been based on all the bits and pieces of information when taken on a whole. I don't know if the experts will ever agree on one perfect old west book, but until they do, I recommend this one.

Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders: 1992 To the Present (Facts on File Library of World History)

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Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders: 1992 To the Present (Facts on File Library of World History)
John C. Fredriksen
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders, 1900 to 1991 (Facts on File Library of World History)

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Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders, 1900 to 1991 (Facts on File Library of World History)

Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
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The Facts on File Dictionary of 20th Century History

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The Facts on File Dictionary of 20th Century History
Alan Palmer
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P8NPJ0

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The Facts on File dictionary of 20th century history
Alan Warwick Palmer
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
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General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006DX01C

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the facts on file dictionary of 20th century history

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The Facts on File Dictionary of Military Science

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The Facts on File Dictionary of Military Science
Jay Shafritz , Todd Shafritz , and David Robertson
Manufacturer: Facts on File
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0816018235

Customer Reviews:

Just of average value.......2007-05-10

i returned this book as it provided no additional info to me. One could look up the same info in an easy internet search. Save your money

Piper's poultry: A practical guide to the choice, breeding, rearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea fowls, ducks and geese, for profit and exhibition

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Piper's poultry: A practical guide to the choice, breeding, rearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea fowls, ducks and geese, for profit and exhibition
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Poultry: A practical guide to the choice, breeding, rearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea-fowls, ducks and geese for profit and exhibition

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Poultry: A practical guide to the choice, breeding, rearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea-fowls, ducks and geese for profit and exhibition
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Profitable and ornamental poultry: A practical guide to the choice, breeding, bearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea-fowls, ducks and geese for profit and exhibition

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Profitable and ornamental poultry: A practical guide to the choice, breeding, bearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea-fowls, ducks and geese for profit and exhibition
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