|
Showing 1 - 14 of
14 matches in All Departments
Attempts to understand the origins of humanity have raised
fundamental questions about the complex relationship between
cognition and culture. Central to the debates on origins is the
role of religion, religious ritual and religious experience. What
came first: individual religious (ecstatic) experiences, collective
observances of transition situations, fear of death, ritual
competence, magical coercion; mirror neurons or temporal lobe
religiosity? Cognitive scientists are now providing us with
important insights on phylogenetic and ontogenetic processes.
Together with insights from the humanities and social sciences on
the origins, development and maintenance of complex semiotic,
social and cultural systems, a general picture of what is
particularly human about humans could emerge. Reflections on the
preconditions for symbolic and linguistic competence and practice
are now within our grasp. Origins of Religion, Cognition and
Culture puts culture centre stage in the cognitive science of
religion.
"The anthology is unusually well thought-out, building its case
from the rudiments and evolution of language to the evolution of
mind and consciousness to the appearance of narrative and religion.
The collection also introduces many scholars and theories with
whom/which anthropologists may be less familiar but who/which
demand our attention and can strongly benefit our work. I have
already integrated some lessons from the book into my teaching and
will no doubt return to it in my own research and writing.
Religious Narrative, Cognition and Culture is a proud statement of
where the cognitive theory of religion and narrative stands at
present and a manifesto for future research." - Anthropology Review
Database Religious Narrative, Cognition and Culture contains
contributions dealing with religious narrative and cognitive theory
written by some of the worlds leading scholars in the fields of
cognitive science, narratology and comparative religion. At the
heart of the volume are five papers which serve as sequels to each
other. The first paper by the American biologist and semiotician
Terrence W. Deacon explores the neurological processes and possible
genetic foundations of how language emerged in Homo sapiens. This
is followed nicely by the Canadian evolutionary psychologist Merlin
Donalds contribution which describes the possible phylogenetic
routes in the development of language and culture. His bio-cultural
approach is a major theme in the book. The third paper by the
British psychologist Chris Sinha brings us to the bridge between
neurological and communicative levels. In it he describes the
complex interrelations between the ontogenesis and the sociogenesis
of cognitive processes and demonstrates how they relate to reason,
representation, figuration and imagination. The fourth contribution
brings us to the level of narrative. It is by the Indian
narratologist Rukmini Bhaya Nair in which she argues for a
combination of neurology, narratology and a reworked speech-act
approach that focuses on narrative rather than simply sentences.
The final keynote is by the Finnish cognitive scientist of religion
Ilkka Pyysi?inen. He brings us full round to religious behavior by
showing how the psychology of ritual helps make narrative beliefs
possible. These five contributions are followed by papers from
Danish, Finnish, Icelandic and American scholars of religion
covering religious narratives and emotional communication, gossip
as religious narrative and area studies of religious narrative and
cognition in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Georgian
Orthodox Church, Indian Epic literature, Australian Aboriginal
mythology and ritual, and modern religious forms such as New Age,
Asatro, astrological narrative and virtual rituals in 3D
cyberspace.
Written by leading theorists and empirical researchers, this book
presents new ways of addressing the old question: Why did religion
first emerge and then continue to evolve in all human societies?
The authors of the book-each with a different background across the
social sciences and humanities-assimilate conceptual leads and
empirical findings from anthropology, evolutionary biology,
evolutionary sociology, neurology, primate behavioral studies,
explanations of human interaction and group dynamics, and a wide
range of religious scholarship to construct a deeper and more
powerful explanation of the origins and subsequent evolutionary
development of religions than can currently be found in what is now
vast literature. While explaining religion has been a central
question in many disciplines for a long time, this book draws upon
a much wider array of literature to develop a robust and
cross-disciplinary analysis of religion. The book remains true to
its subtitle by emphasizing an array of both biological and
sociocultural forms of selection dynamics that are fundamental to
explaining religion as a universal institution in human societies.
In addition to Darwinian selection, which can explain the biology
and neurology of religion, the book outlines a set of four
additional types of sociocultural natural selection that can fill
out the explanation of why religion first emerged as an
institutional system in human societies, and why it has continued
to evolve over the last 300,000 years of societal evolution. These
sociocultural forms of natural selection are labeled by the names
of the early sociologists who first emphasized them, and they can
be seen as a necessary supplement to the type of natural selection
theorized by Charles Darwin. Explanations of religion that remain
in the shadow cast by Darwin's great insights will, it is argued,
remain narrow and incomplete when explaining a robust sociocultural
phenomenon like religion.
"The anthology is unusually well thought-out, building its case
from the rudiments and evolution of language to the evolution of
mind and consciousness to the appearance of narrative and religion.
The collection also introduces many scholars and theories with
whom/which anthropologists may be less familiar but who/which
demand our attention and can strongly benefit our work. I have
already integrated some lessons from the book into my teaching and
will no doubt return to it in my own research and writing.
Religious Narrative, Cognition and Culture is a proud statement of
where the cognitive theory of religion and narrative stands at
present and a manifesto for future research." - Anthropology Review
Database Religious Narrative, Cognition and Culture contains
contributions dealing with religious narrative and cognitive theory
written by some of the worlds leading scholars in the fields of
cognitive science, narratology and comparative religion. At the
heart of the volume are five papers which serve as sequels to each
other. The first paper by the American biologist and semiotician
Terrence W. Deacon explores the neurological processes and possible
genetic foundations of how language emerged in Homo sapiens. This
is followed nicely by the Canadian evolutionary psychologist Merlin
Donalds contribution which describes the possible phylogenetic
routes in the development of language and culture. His bio-cultural
approach is a major theme in the book. The third paper by the
British psychologist Chris Sinha brings us to the bridge between
neurological and communicative levels. In it he describes the
complex interrelations between the ontogenesis and the sociogenesis
of cognitive processes and demonstrates how they relate to reason,
representation, figuration and imagination. The fourth contribution
brings us to the level of narrative. It is by the Indian
narratologist Rukmini Bhaya Nair in which she argues for a
combination of neurology, narratology and a reworked speech-act
approach that focuses on narrative rather than simply sentences.
The final keynote is by the Finnish cognitive scientist of religion
Ilkka Pyysi?inen. He brings us full round to religious behavior by
showing how the psychology of ritual helps make narrative beliefs
possible. These five contributions are followed by papers from
Danish, Finnish, Icelandic and American scholars of religion
covering religious narratives and emotional communication, gossip
as religious narrative and area studies of religious narrative and
cognition in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Georgian
Orthodox Church, Indian Epic literature, Australian Aboriginal
mythology and ritual, and modern religious forms such as New Age,
Asatro, astrological narrative and virtual rituals in 3D
cyberspace.
The cognitive science of religion does not have its own
methodology, and yet from the very beginnings of the discipline,
methodology has defined it not only in relation to the general
study of religion in the humanities but also to the sciences
interested in the mind. Scholars of the cognitive science of
religion are using a range of methodologies, borrowing mostly from
the cognitive sciences and experimental psychology, but also from
biology, archaeology, history, philosophy, linguistics, the social
and statistical sciences, neurosciences, and anthropology. In fact,
this multi-disciplinarity defines the cognitive science of
religion. Such multi-disciplinarity requires hard work and truly
interdisciplinary teams, but also continual reflections on and
debates about the methodologies being used. In fact, no study of
the cognitive science of religion worth its name can rely on only
one methodology. Triangulation is standard, but often even more
approaches are used. This book consists of selected papers from the
Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion and the Journal of
Cognitive Historiography. Each chapter demonstrates a particular
method or group of methods and how those methods advance our
knowledge of the religious mind from the ancient past up to today.
Internationally recognized scholars from many parts of the world
provide a critical survey of recent developments and achievements
in the global field of religious studies. The work follows in the
footsteps of two former publications: Classical Approaches to the
Study of Religion, edited by Jacques Waardenburg (1973), and
Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Frank
Whaling (1984/85). New Approaches to the Study of Religion
completes the survey of the comparative study of religion in the
twentieth century by focussing on the past two decades. Many of the
chapters, however, are also pathbreaking and point the way to
future approaches. Originally published in 2004, New Approaches are
now available as paperback for classroom use. Also available as a 2
volume set.
Internationally recognized scholars from many parts of the world
provide a critical survey of recent developments and achievements
in the global field of religious studies. The work follows in the
footsteps of two former publications: Classical Approaches to the
Study of Religion, edited by Jacques Waardenburg (1973), and
Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Frank
Whaling (1984/85). New Approaches to the Study of Religion
completes the survey of the comparative study of religion in the
twentieth century by focussing on the past two decades. Many of the
chapters, however, are also pathbreaking and point the way to
future approaches. Originally published in 2004, New Approaches are
now available as paperback for classroom use. Also available as a 2
volume set.
Internationally recognized scholars from many parts of the world
provide a critical survey of recent developments and achievements
in the global field of religious studies. The work follows in the
footsteps of two former publications: Classical Approaches to the
Study of Religion, edited by Jacques Waardenburg (1973), and
Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Frank
Whaling (1984/85). New Approaches to the Study of Religion
completes the survey of the comparative study of religion in the
twentieth century by focussing on the past two decades. Many of the
chapters, however, are also pathbreaking and point the way to
future approaches. Key features - Sequel to two established former
volumes - Volume I and II can be used (and purchased) separately -
Separate indexes for each volume
Internationally recognized scholars from many parts of the world
provide a critical survey of recent developments and achievements
in the global field of religious studies. The work follows in the
footsteps of two former publications: Classical Approaches to the
Study of Religion, edited by Jacques Waardenburg (1973), and
Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion, edited by Frank
Whaling (1984/85). New Approaches to the Study of Religion
completes the survey of the comparative study of religion in the
twentieth century by focussing on the past two decades. Many of the
chapters, however, are also pathbreaking and point the way to
future approaches.
Written by leading theorists and empirical researchers, this book
presents new ways of addressing the old question: Why did religion
first emerge and then continue to evolve in all human societies?
The authors of the book-each with a different background across the
social sciences and humanities-assimilate conceptual leads and
empirical findings from anthropology, evolutionary biology,
evolutionary sociology, neurology, primate behavioral studies,
explanations of human interaction and group dynamics, and a wide
range of religious scholarship to construct a deeper and more
powerful explanation of the origins and subsequent evolutionary
development of religions than can currently be found in what is now
vast literature. While explaining religion has been a central
question in many disciplines for a long time, this book draws upon
a much wider array of literature to develop a robust and
cross-disciplinary analysis of religion. The book remains true to
its subtitle by emphasizing an array of both biological and
sociocultural forms of selection dynamics that are fundamental to
explaining religion as a universal institution in human societies.
In addition to Darwinian selection, which can explain the biology
and neurology of religion, the book outlines a set of four
additional types of sociocultural natural selection that can fill
out the explanation of why religion first emerged as an
institutional system in human societies, and why it has continued
to evolve over the last 300,000 years of societal evolution. These
sociocultural forms of natural selection are labeled by the names
of the early sociologists who first emphasized them, and they can
be seen as a necessary supplement to the type of natural selection
theorized by Charles Darwin. Explanations of religion that remain
in the shadow cast by Darwin's great insights will, it is argued,
remain narrow and incomplete when explaining a robust sociocultural
phenomenon like religion.
Comparative Religion is deeply rooted in historical-philological
studies, but since the inception of the discipline in the late
nineteenth century, a continual development has taken place. Since
that time, the discipline has moved into many different areas of
the social, humanistic, psychological and biological sciences, and
debates on theory and method are as intense as ever. As scholars of
religion get to grips with some aspects of the phenomenon in
question, new problems arise, and new challenges must be met. At
the same time, however, the virtues of the past should not be
forgotten, and a double orientation, back and forth, becomes
necessary. Rather than pursuing a systematic discussion of how to
go about such problems, this volume celebrates the diversity and
multi-methodological approaches in comparative religion by
including empirical, as well as theoretical, approaches.The
authors, among whom are many of the world's leading scholars, have
been asked to contribute essays on the current state of comparative
religion, and thanks to their efforts the reader is offered a
pathway to exciting, but quite diverse, examples of the discipline,
from the well-known to the most recent academic frontiers.
The cognitive science of religion does not have its own
methodology, and yet from the very beginnings of the discipline,
methodology has defined it not only in relation to the general
study of religion in the humanities but also to the sciences
interested in the mind. Scholars of the cognitive science of
religion are using a range of methodologies, borrowing mostly from
the cognitive sciences and experimental psychology, but also from
biology, archaeology, history, philosophy, linguistics, the social
and statistical sciences, neurosciences, and anthropology. In fact,
this multi-disciplinarity defines the cognitive science of
religion. Such multi-disciplinarity requires hard work and truly
interdisciplinary teams, but also continual reflections on and
debates about the methodologies being used. In fact, no study of
the cognitive science of religion worth its name can rely on only
one methodology. Triangulation is standard, but often even more
approaches are used. This book consists of selected papers from the
Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion and the Journal of
Cognitive Historiography. Each chapter demonstrates a particular
method or group of methods and how those methods advance our
knowledge of the religious mind from the ancient past up to today.
Religion, Tradition & Renewal
For some time interest has been growing in a dialogue between
modern scientific research into human cognition and research in the
humanities. This ground-breaking volume focuses this dialogue on
the religious experience of men and women in the ancient Greek and
Roman worlds. Each chapter examines a particular historical problem
arising from an ancient religious activity and the contributions
range across a wide variety of both ancient contexts and sources,
exploring and integrating literary, epigraphic, visual and
archaeological evidence. In order to avoid a simple polarity
between physical aspects (ritual) and mental aspects (belief) of
religion, the contributors draw on theories of cognition as
embodied, emergent, enactive and extended, accepting the
complexity, multimodality and multicausality of human life. Through
this interdisciplinary approach, the chapters open up new questions
around and develop new insights into the physical, emotional, and
cognitive aspects of ancient religions.
|
You may like...
Rio 2
Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, …
Blu-ray disc
(1)
R76
R42
Discovery Miles 420
|