The mystical mind : probing the biology of religious experience

by Eugene G. D'Aquili

Paperback, 1999

Series

Publication

Imprint: Minneapolis : Fortress Press, c1999. Series: Theology and the sciences.. Responsibility: Eugene G. d'Aquili, Andrew B. Newberg. Physical: Text : 1 volume : ix, 228 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. Features: Includes bibliography, index.

Call number

BC / dAqui

Barcode

BK-05237

ISBN

9780800631635

Collections

Your library, Adult Materials, Philosophy and Science

CSS Library Notes

Description: How does the mind experience the sacred? What biological mechanisms are involved in mystical states and trances? Is there a neurological basis for patterns in comparative religions? Does religion have an evolutionary function?" "This pioneering work by two leading medical researchers explores the neurophysiology of religious experience. Mapping the basic functions of the brain, the authors focus on structures most relevant to human experience, emotion, and cognition. On this basis they plot just how the brain is involved in mystical experiences. Successive chapters employ this understanding to explore mythmaking, ritual and liturgy, meditation, near-death experiences, and theology itself. Original, daring, and widely acclaimed, the authors' research bears exciting implications for philosophy, science, and the future of religion itself. -- from the jacket.

Table of Contents: Introduction --
The brain and central nervous system --
The basis for the mystical mind --
Why the mind creates myth --
Ritual, liturgy, and the mind --
The mind, meditation, and mysticism --
The near-death experience as a mystical phenomenon --
The origin of religion --
Neurotheology --
Consciousness and reality --
Metatheology and megatheology --
Epilogue: some practical reflections.

FY2003 /

Physical description

ix, 228 p.; 23 cm

Awards

John Templeton Foundation Prize for Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences (2000)

Description

How does the mind experience the sacred? What biological mechanisms are involved in mystical states and trances? Is there a neurological basis for patterns in comparative religions? Does religion have an evolutionary function? This pathbreaking work by two leading medical researchers explores the neurophysiology of religious experience. Building on an explanation of the basic structure of the brain, the authors focus on parts most relevant to human experience, emotion, and cognition. On this basis, they plot how the brain is involved in mystical experiences. Successive chapters apply this scheme to mythmaking, ritual and liturgy, meditation, near-death experiences, and theology itself. Anchored in such research, the authors also sketch the implications of their work for philosophy, science, theology, and the future of religion.… (more)