Daniel Dennett (2006) Breaking the Spell,
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Additional Praise for Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon "Breaking the Spell continues to spark controversy with its Darwinian take on the all-too-human urge to believe.. .. Dawkins, Dennett, and Harris argue that religious beliefs, particularly those derived literally and selectively from religious texts, can lead to behavior that is dubi- ously moral according to more universal principles of right and wrong. The killing of innocents in the name of holy war is only the most obvious instance. . . . Dennett extends a conciliatory hand to believers so long as they are willing to subject any purportedly God- given moral edict 'to the full light of reason, using all the evidence at our command.'" "Rich and rewarding.. .the main business of the book is to give a sci- entific account of how religion may have developed among creatures such as us... Dennett here does an admirable job of dismantling the common (yet almost never argued for) prejudice that those who be- lieve in the supernatural have some sort of moral superiority." — San Francisco Chronicle "In Breaking the Spell, the blasting rhetoric of Dawkins and Harris is absent, replaced by provocative, often humorous examples and thought experiments." "Mr. Dennett's main argument is that religious belief—especially in the United States—is often sheltered from the cut and thrust of intel- lectual argument and scientific scrutiny, and it should not be." — The Economist "Dennett describes the various stages of the long historical evolution of religion, beginning with primitive tribal myths and rituals, and ending with the market driven evangelical megachurches of modern America. ... He emphasizes that his explanation of the evolution of religion is testable with the methods of science. It could be tested by quantitative measurements of the transmissibility and durability of various belief systems. . .. [His] account is on the whole fair and well balanced." — U.S. News & World Report — Wired — The New York Review of Books "An important inquiry into the nature of religion and into its morality ... or lack of it.... Dennett develops a convincing evolutionary scenario in which religions emerge through natural selection and through market forces, without guidance, human or divine." — Tricycle Magazine "Thoughtful, informed, and probing. It is surprisingly cautious: Den- nett is sensitive to the limits on what we currently know and is mainly concerned to develop a research agenda. In discussing specific hy- potheses about specific religions, he is not at all dogmatic." — American Scientist "The whole book is marked by a careful attention to documenting sources and studies wherever an empirical assertion is made ... and, indeed, it is also successful in being just about as accessible as is pos- sible to a very wide audience while applying sophisticated analytic tools to its subject. Dennett has done what he wanted to do, and it is an extremely important and timely achievement." —3quarksdaily "Brilliant, insightful, provocative, clarifying, important, amusing, courageous, mind expanding, and a damned good read; try Breaking the Spell and your view of religion—and of yourself—will never be the same. Thank God (or rather, evolution) for Daniel Dennett. In a politi- cal era increasingly dominated by ignorant, narrow-minded ideologues, we need him more than ever, and his 'biologizing' of religion is a wel- come of fresh air." —David P. Barash "In the growing debate about which has primacy, a faith-based or an evidence-based view of the world, philosopher Daniel Dennett makes a comprehensive case for evidence, including evidence-based exami- nation of the processes and fruits of faith. His eloquent book is essen- tial reading in a time of potential religious war." —Stewart Brand breath PENGUIN BOOKS BREAKING THE SPELL Daniel C. Dennett is University Professor, professor of philosophy, and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts Univer- sity. His books include Brainstorms, Elbow Room, Consciousness Ex- plained, Darwin's Dangerous Idea (a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize), and Freedom Evolves. He lives in North Andover, Massachusetts. DANIEL C. DENNETT BREAKING RELIGION AS A NATURAL PHENOMENON OCR scan by Locke THE SPELL [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |