Advances in Religion, Cognitive Science, and Experimental Philosophy (Advances in Experimental Philosophy)

by Helen De Cruz

Experimental philosophy has blossomed into a variety of philosophical fields including ethics, epistemology, metaphysics and philosophy of language. But there has been very little experimental philosophical research in the domain of philosophy of religion. Advances in Religion, Cognitive Science, and Experimental Philosophy demonstrates how cognitive science of religion has the methodological and conceptual resources to become a form of experimental philosophy of religion.Addressing a wide variety of empirical claims that are of interest to philosophers and psychologists of religion, a team of psychologists and philosophers apply data from the psychology of religion to important problems in the philosophy of religion including the psychology of religious diversity; the psychology of substance dualism; the problem of evil and the relation between religious belief and empathy; and the cognitive science explaining the formation of intuitions that unwittingly guide philosophers of religion when formulating arguments.Bringing together authors and researchers who have made important contributions to interdisciplinary research on religion in the last decade, Advances in Religion, Cognitive Science, and Experimental Philosophy provides new ways of approaching core philosophical and psychological problems.

Genres: Religion

Hardcover

First published February 11, 2016

About the author

Helen De Cruz was a Belgian philosopher and Danforth Chair of Philosophy at Saint Louis University who specialised in philosophy of religion, experimental philosophy, philosophy of blogging, and philosophy of cognitive science. She was also an activist supporting the rights of EU citizens in the context Brexit.

Reviews

[james spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In depth review on natural explanations for religious thought

Not designed to refute theism, but to explain it on the basis of evolutionary mechanisms that add fitness to the development of cognitive intuitions that eventually give rise to religious thought. Fascinating look at the evidence for theistic thought processes development.