Audiobook12 hours
The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul
Written by Denyse O'Leary and Mario Beauregard, Ph.D.
Narrated by Patrick Lawlor
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Does religious experience come from God, or is it just the random firing of neurons in the brain? Drawing on brain research on Carmelite nuns that has attracted major media attention and provocative new research in near-death experiences, The Spiritual Brain proves that genuine, life-changing spiritual events can be documented. The authors make a convincing case for what many in science are loathe to consider—that it is God who creates our spiritual experiences, not the brain. Challenging the conclusions of such books as Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion and Daniel C. Dennett's Breaking the Spell, this book will be of interest to readers on both sides of a hot-button issue at the meeting place of science and faith.
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Denyse O'Leary is a Toronto-based freelance journalist and blogger who specializes in faith and science issues. She is the author of Faith@Science and By Design or by Chance? and has written for The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, and Canadian Living.
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Reviews for The Spiritual Brain
Rating: 3.888888888888889 out of 5 stars
4/5
9 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The last few hours were very interesting but the first 9 hours went on waaaay too long
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beauregard’s thesis is that mystical/spiritual experiences have effects on the brain that are too complex to be generalized down to a “God Gene,” a “God Switch,” or a section of the brain dedicated to religiosity. His evidence for this thesis is pretty strong—specifically, he summarizes his own neuroscience research with Carmelite nuns. This thesis does not take an entire book to prove, however, so he spends the rest of the book discussing other aspects of spirituality and neuroscience. Problem is, he’s not an exciting writer, so I really can’t remember any of his other points. I don’t recall any objectionable arguments he made…it’s just that the book is rather forgettable. Maybe worth a read if you have a specific interest in the area—but there are better books out there for casual popular reading.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5My friend gave me this book as a gift. I was expecting more from it, and I couldn't get through it due to the bad science and factual errors. And I still don't understand what a soul is supposed to be. Don't bother, it's not worth it.