Magic Miracles and Religion

Can scientists study religion? Ilkka Pyysiäinen says that they can. While the study of religion cannot be reduced to other disciplines it must not ignore what other disciplines have learned about human thought and behavior. In this collection of essays Pyysiäinen shows how findings from cognitive science can offer new directions to debates in religion. After providing a historical and theoretical overview of the cognitive science of religion Pyysiäinen demonstrates how knowledge of the mind's workings can help deconstruct such concepts as god ideology culture magic miracles and religion. For scholars of religion or for scholars of the mind-brain <I>Magic Miracles and Religion</I> provides a helpful overview to this emerging field.