Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith [Perfect Paperback]

J. Anderson Thomson (Author), Clare Aukofer (Author), Richard Dawkins (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2011

Why We Believe In God(s) provides a brief and accessible guide to the exciting new discoveries that allow us to finally understand why and how the human mind generates, accepts, and spreads religious beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book about the evolutionary drivers of religiosity would have delighted [Darwin].... One by one the components of religion receive the Thomson treatment. Every point he makes has the ring of truth, abetted by a crisp style and vivid imagery. Andy Thomson is an outstandingly persuasive lecturer, and it shines through his writing. This short, punchy book will be swiftly read—and long remembered."

—Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, from the foreword of Why We Believe in God(s)

"Andy Thomson, with Clare Aukofer, has written a wonderfully concise introduction to our growing scientific understanding of religion. If you would like to learn, in the span of an hour, why we have every reason to believe that God is man-made—this is the book to read."

—Sam Harris, author of the New York Times best sellers The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The End of Faith

About the Author

J. Anderson "Andy" Thomson Jr. is a staff psychiatrist at the University of Virginia's Student Health Center and the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy, and maintains a private practice of adult and forensic psychiatry in Charlottesville, Virginia. He serves as a trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Clare Aukofer is a writer and editor in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing (June 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984493212
• ISBN-13: 978-0984493210
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Psychology
  • #31 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Atheism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete but interesting, April 16, 2011

By 

Jack D. Eller "Anthropologist, Author, and Ra... (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith (Perfect Paperback)

Thomson's tiny book (114 miniature pages) is a commendable introduction to the emerging science of religion. Those who are unfamiliar with the new convergence of psychology, biology, and anthropology in evolutionary-cognitive theory will find the book useful for getting them started on the subject. (Those already familiar with the much more substantial treatments of Boyer, Atran, Guthrie, Kirkpatrick, de Waal, and others will not learn anything new here.) The book suffers from its very brevity: for instance, in the discussion of human evolution in chapter 2, no dates or descriptions are included with the names of various species. Also, the book commits the standard error of virtually all studies of religion, namely conflating theism--and sometimes specifically CHRISTIAN theism--with religion. For example, on page 32, it says that "All religions...begin with belief in one or more central holy figures or teachers." That is not quite accurate: not all religions even include a notion of "the holy." Later on the page Thompson admits that he will only discuss one religion, but that makes the entire point of the evolutionary theory of religion moot, since Christianity was most assuredly not the first religion to evolve, nor was theism a part of that first religion. On page 46 Thompson says that "Religions give us supernormal 'parents,' magnificent attachment figures...." but the reality is that not all religions imagine their spirit-beings as parents either. That is likewise a very Christian way of thinking. So, this little book is a decent starting place to learn about the latest thinking on the human and social origins of religion, but use it as a jumping-off point into the more detailed and culturally-informed literature that puts theism in its place--late in the religion game, as a branch of a branch of the evolving religion tree.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the field, April 7, 2011

By 

Paul (Charlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith (Perfect Paperback)

This book summarizes the scientific research that explains the human inclination to create divinity. It is not a defense of atheism, but rather shows what science has to say about the various modules and capacities that humans have developed over the millenia that lend themselves to the generation and embrace of religious explanations. Although the authors make it clear that they are not people of faith, the book is not an attack on faith so much as an account of why people might believe, other than "because it's true." Very current in terms of the literature, well written, and thus a good portal for someone seeking to learn more about the field.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Millions of years in the making", March 8, 2011

By 

Fifth Generation Texan (Winters, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith (Perfect Paperback)

As Thomson and Aukofer point out in this compelling little book, our snap judgements are "millions of years in the making" and so is the human propensity to construct and to believe in gods. I know of no clearer or more concise summary of the various preadaptations that cause humans to generate and sustain religious belief.