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The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies, by Michael Shermer
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Will be shipped from US. Brand new copy.
- Sales Rank: #558542 in Books
- Published on: 1994
- Binding: Hardcover
- 256 pages
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Very Enlightening
By bdallmann
Yes, this book has certainly caused many people to get their panties in a bunch since its publication in 2011. That being said, I am not one of those angry people and found the book very enlightening and, at times, fascinating.
I think one of the main theses of the book can be summed up by the following quote: "Our brains are belief engines, evolved pattern-recognition machines that connect the dots and create meaning out of patterns that we think we see in nature. Sometimes A really is connected to B; sometimes it is not." Shermer also explains how the human brain has evolved to create beliefs first and rationalize those beliefs after, rather than thinking clearly and logically before coming to a conclusion about what we believe. In this way, we cherry-pick the "evidence" that best fits our beliefs and refuse to see the true evidence to the contrary. He says, "Humans like to feel like they're in control, and we feel like we're in control when we understand what's going on. In order to `understand,' we may see patterns where there really aren't any." Shermer is sure to stress that everyone is guilty of doing this - theists and atheists, scientists and philosophers, neuroscientists and custodians - and it's important to remember that we can't help it. The scientific method is the best defense against this kind of narrow thinking, and scientific procedures for experiments such as the double-blind method fortify science against our natural biases.
There were one or two times in the book where my mind was completely blown by the theories and suggestions put forth by Shermer, especially one in which he suggests that a divine creator, a "god" if you will, would be indistinguishable from an extraterrestrial life form millions of years more advanced than us with the capabilities to create new galaxies and life. I talked with a couple people about who were not nearly as blown away as I was - apparently it's not a new suggestion, but it was certainly new to me.
Having studied Spanish and journalism in school, I don't have the science base to fully comprehend the neuroscience discussed in the book. But I don't believe in letting that deter me; I'll never learn if I don't try. I felt like the book was written colloquially enough to allow me to get a lot from it. Although a friend mentioned to me how ironic it would be if I believed everything in the book, it did make me contemplate my own deeply held beliefs, about myself and others.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Would Not Recommend
By mark
It's clear that Michael Shermer approached this book with a closed mind, intending to disprove all religious beliefs and superstitions with oversimplified scientific evidence. My expectation from this book was to learn the underlying cause of biases and beliefs through a non biased, scientific journal style writing. Unfortunately, after 333 pages, my expectation was not fulfilled. If you intend to learn from this book the same things I did, I would not recommend reading it. If you are a devout atheist and intend to confirm, based on cherry picked studies and a vast amount of speculation, that belief in anything unsupported by science is hokum; I would recommend this book.
His thesis, which is often stated and restated in the same confounding fashion, is: "beliefs come first; reasons for belief follow in confirmation of the realism dependent on the belief". It becomes clear by chapter 3 that the only exception to his thesis statement are his own beliefs, which he mistakes for objective truths. The irony is quite remarkable. A book about bias, written by a man who supposedly studied bias his entire adult life, is not free of bias. In fact, it seems every page and every statement is undermined by Shermer's own set of beliefs. Throughout the book Shermer comes off as pretentious and arrogant. In response to the question; what's wrong with superstition and belief in God? he states "it is better to live in a real world than a fantasy world." If you don't think this is conceited enough (and I think Ophelia would argue naive, too), here's a few more examples:
"Picking up where Darwin left off...I developed an evolutionary model of belief in God."
"I will demonstrate for certain why it is not possible to know whether God exists".
"Surprisingly - given that we are the most technologically advanced and scientifically sophisticated nation in history- America is among the most religious tribes of the species".
"The burden of proof is on the believer to prove God's existence, not on the nonbeliever to disprove God's existence. Although we cannot prove a negative, I can just as easily argue that I cannot prove that there is no Isis, Zeus, Apollo, Brahma, Ganesha, Mithra, Allah, Yahweh, or even the Flying Spaghetti Monster. But the inability to disprove these gods in no way makes them legitimate objects of belief (let alone worship)".
Despite his attitude and poor approach to the topic, I found chapter 1 and 2 insightful. And a statement made by Shermer at the end of chapter 2 I believe is worth sharing: "Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, the meaning of life is here. It is now. It is within us and without us. It is in our thoughts and in our actions. It is in our lives and in our loves. It is in our families and in our friends. It is in our communities and in our world. It is in the courage of our convictions and in the character of our commitments. Hope springs eternal, whether life is eternal or not".
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Shermer helps us understand our amazing brains
By Sam W. Tagart, Jr.
I bought and read this book some years ago and decided to give copies to young college people this past Christmas. The book is the third book by Shermer I have read and each seems to me very enlightening. The human brain is something to behold, and Shermer heips us understand how it works in a tone that is humble and revealing. If people read this book, they will better understand why we have so many diverse opinions about the supernatural, religion, and politics. Another book that tackles the same subject is "The Righteous Mind" by Haidt. Both men reveal how the subconscious mind dominates our lives.
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