Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'consciousness'

All Mixed Up: Julian Jaynes

February 8th, 2012 · 1 Comment · Cognition, Cultural Evolution, Hunter-Gatherers

In 1976, the polymathic Princeton psychologist Julian Jaynes published The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. It is one of those rare books which is mostly wrong but is filled with so many penetrating and provocative insights that it still deserves to be read. It’s a big idea book that aroused [...]

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Moral Premise: Promise Keeping

September 26th, 2011 · 7 Comments · Cognition, Morality

Making and keeping promises is a hallmark of human behavior that many consider to be a cornerstone of “morality.” As such, it is often linked to religion. The linkage is expressly acknowledged by religious groups such as Promise Keepers.
Until recently, I hadn’t given much thought to promises per se or their critical importance to the [...]

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Consciousness, Dreams & The Supernatural

September 21st, 2011 · 14 Comments · Cognition, Hunter-Gatherers, Shamanism

The notion of binaries or opposites is deeply entrenched in Western culture and thought. Although it seems perfectly natural to perceive and categorize the world in terms of dichotomies (black-white, either-or), what seems natural is actually learned. Our teacher in this regard is Aristotle, who was so impressed by the Pythagorean Table of Opposites that [...]

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Illusions of Unified Selves & Souls

September 26th, 2010 · No Comments · Cognition, Evolutionary Adaptation, Evolutionary Byproduct

Over at Seed, the clinical physician David Weisman weighs in on the centuries old debate regarding the existence of souls and suggests that the widely held notion of a soul is inextricably linked to an erroneous sense of unified mind.  This debate was famously framed by Descartes, who proclaimed — as a first principle and [...]

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Is “Quantum Consciousness” the Essence of “Spirituality”?

August 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Classifications, Cognition, Definitions, Methodology, Philosophy, Shamanism

In “Quantum Consciousness: The Way to Reconcile Science and Spirituality,” Kingsley Dennis elegantly discusses what has proven to the most intractable issue in neuroscience: consciousness.  Because fluctuations and altered states of consciousness are so often linked to the supernatural-religious, I have examined it in many posts, including Consciousness and the Supernatural, which provides a brief [...]

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Near Death Experiences: Portal to Another Realm?

July 16th, 2010 · 8 Comments · Cognition, Emotions, Evolutionary Byproduct

There are many who believe that near death experiences (“NDE”) provide evidence of the existence of a spirit-soul and that those who have these close encounters with death have glimpsed another realm.  Over at Brain Blogger, Jennifer Gibson discusses some recent studies of NDEs in a post titled “Light at the End of the Tunnel [...]

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Is “Hinduism” Science Friendly?

July 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age, Classifications, Definitions, Globalization, History, New Religions, Power

In yesterday’s post, I discussed Philip Goldberg’s contention that “Eastern religions” (i.e., Hinduism and Buddhism) are science friendly.  To support his argument, Goldberg relies on a very specific — and Westernized — understanding of these traditions.  Yesterday’s post was devoted to the Western construction and consumption of Buddhism; today’s post will cover the highly problematic [...]

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Deepak Chopra’s “Theory”: Consciousness as Godhead

June 26th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Cognition, Daily Devolutions, Definitions, Evolution, New Religions

Over at HuffPo Religion, Deepak Chopra opines on the non-existent “war between science and religion.”  Religion is of course being investigated by scientists and examined by historians, but this does not make the interrogation a war.  Religion is simply another object or category of positivist inquiry.
Chopra’s piece begins with some surprising concessions:
What is the war [...]

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Hospital Hallucinations — Consciousness and the Otherwordly

June 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Cognition, Evolutionary Byproduct, Shamanism

In a previous post, Consciousness and the Supernatural, I discussed at some length David Lewis-Williams’ contention that supernatural thinking arises naturally from fluctuations of consciousness.  These fluctuations range from normal (dreaming) to periodic (reveries) to pathological (delusions).  Deliberately induced — and dramatic — altered states of consciousness are of course a specialty of shamans around [...]

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Consciousness and The Supernatural

May 21st, 2010 · 1 Comment · Archaeology, Cognition, Evolution, Evolutionary Adaptation, Evolutionary Byproduct

A few months ago, the cognitive archaeologist David Lewis-Williams published Conceiving God: The Cognitive Origin and Evolution of Religion.  When I saw the title, I worried that perhaps I had been scooped.  Now that I have nearly finished the book, my worry has passed.  Lewis-Williams’ title is a bit deceiving, given that the book combines [...]

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