The Cognitive Science of Religion: A Methodological Introduction to Key Empirical Studies

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The Cognitive Science of Religion introduces students to key empirical studies conducted over the past 25 years in this new and rapidly expanding field. In these studies, cognitive scientists of religion have applied the theories, findings and research tools of the cognitive sciences to understanding religious thought, behaviour and social dynamics. Each chapter is written by a leading international scholar, and summarizes in non-technical language the original empirical study conducted by the scholar. No prior or statistical knowledge is presumed, and studies included range from the classic to the more recent and innovative cases. Students will learn about the theories that cognitive scientists have employed to explain recurrent features of religiosity across cultures and historical eras, how scholars have tested those theories, and what the results of those tests have revealed and suggest. Written to be accessible to undergraduates, this provides a much-needed survey of empirical studies in the cognitive science of religion.

Reviews

To summarize: the volume provides very interesting insights for somebody (like me) who is not a member of the scholarly tribe of CSR. As such, it keeps its word: it is a rich, multifaceted, and well-readable initiation into the methods, perspectives, and approaches constituting the CSR. * ESSSAT News & Reviews *
This volume is so valuable because it doesnt just present CSR theories, it lays out the supporting methodological and empirical basis and walks through the foundational studies upon which CSR is built. It is the way to introduce the field, to learn more about the field, and even to keep up with the field. Plus it is useful for helping students and researchers understand how a multi-disciplinary science works." * Laird Edman, Professor of Psychology, Northwestern College, USA *
This wide-ranging compilation of essays provides an excellent introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion, packed with contributions from scholars at the cutting edge of research in the field. This book is a must for all students coming to this new branch of science for the first time. * Harvey Whitehouse, Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, UK *
Slone and McCorkle have created a lifeline for students and faculty working in the cognitive science of religion. This is not only a stellar introduction to this emerging field of study but a showcase of the key empirical and experimental studies that everyone involved has been paying attention to. Both students and faculty will breathe a sigh of relief that this text is available. * E. Thomas Lawson, Honorary Professor at the Institute of Cognition and Culture, Queen's University Belfast, UK *
The cognitive and evolutionary study of religion aims at producing empirically testable theories of religious phenomena. Finally, there is a textbook that reflects this aim! The Cognitive Science of Religion showcases both classical and cutting-edge experiments in the field. Given its accessibility to students and non-academic audiences, it is an invaluable resource for everyone interested in religion and cognition. I will definitely use it in my own teaching. * Aku Visala, Research Fellow of the Finnish Academy of Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland *

Author Bio

D. Jason Slone is Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Georgia Southern University, USA. William W. McCorkle Jr. is Senior Research Fellow at the Laboratory for the Experimental Research of Religion and Ritual, Masaryk University, Czech Republic, and is Distinguished Fellow at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. He is co-editor of Mental Culture (2013) and the author of Ritualizing the Disposal of the Deceased (2010). He is also the managing editor of the Journal of Cognitive Historiography.