The "God" Part of the Brain: A Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God - Softcover

Alper, Matthew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1402214529 ISBN 13: 9781402214523

Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2008

Synopsis

Is Man the product of a God...or is "God" the product of human evolution?

From the dawn of our species, every human culture-no matter how isolated-has believed in some form of a spiritual realm. According to author Matthew Alper, this is no mere coincidence but rather due to the fact that humans, as a species, are genetically predisposed to believe in the universal concepts of a god, a soul and an afterlife. This instinct to believe is the result of an evolutionary adaptation-a coping mechanism-that emerged in our species to help us survive our unique and otherwise debilitating awareness of death.

Spiritual seekers and atheists alike will be compelled and transformed by Matthew Alper's classic study of science and religion. The 'God' Part of the Brain has gained critical acclaim from some of the world's leading scientists, secular humanists, and theologians, and is as a must read for anyone who has pondered the question of God's existence, as well as the meaning of our own.

Praise for The "God" Part of the Brain

"This cult classic in many ways parallels Rene Descartes' search for reliable and certain knowledge...Drawing on such disciplines as philosophy, psychology, and biology, Alper argues that belief in a spiritual realm is an evolutionary coping method that developed to help humankind deal with the fear of death...Highly recommended."― Library Journal

"I very much enjoyed the account of your spiritual journey and believe it would make excellent reading for every college student - the resultant residence-hall debates would be the best part of their education. It often occurs to me that if, against all odds, there is a judgmental God and heaven, it will come to pass that when the pearly gates open, those who had the valor to think for themselves will be escorted to the head of the line, garlanded, and given their own personal audience." ― Edward O. Wilson, two-time Pulitzer Prize-Winner

"This is an essential book for those in search of a scientific understanding of man's spiritual nature. Matthew Alper navigates the reader through a labyrinth of intriguing questions and then offers undoubtedly clear answers that lead to a better understanding of our objective reality." ― Elena Rusyn, MD, PhD; Gray Laboratory; Harvard Medical School

"What a wonderful book you have written. It was not only brilliant and provocative but also revolutionary in its approach to spirituality as an inherited trait."― Arnold Sadwin, MD, former chief of Neuropsychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania

"A lively manifesto...For the discipline's specific application to the matter at hand, I've seen nothing that matches the fury of The 'God' Part of the Brain, which perhaps explains why it's earned something of a cult following." ― Salon.com

"All 6 billion plus inhabitants of Earth should be in possession of this book. Alper's tome should be placed in the sacred writings' section of libraries, bookstores, and dwellings throughout the world. Matthew Alper is the new Galileo...Immensely important...Defines in a clear and concise manner what each of us already knew but were afraid to admit and exclaim."― John Scoggins, PhD

"Vibrant ... vivacious. An entertaining and provocative introduction to speculations concerning the neural basis of spirituality."― Free Inquiry Magazine

About this title

From the Publisher:

"Excellent Reading." -Edward O. Wilson

"This is an essential book for those in search of a scientific understanding of mans spiritual nature. Matthew Alper navigates the reader through a labyrinth of intriguing questions and then offers undoubtedly clear answers that lead to a better understanding of our objective reality." -Elena Rusyn, MD, Ph.D.; Gray Laboratory; Harvard Medical School

"A lively manifesto...For the discipline's specific application to the matter at hand, I've seen nothing that matches the fury of "The `God' Part of the Brain,"which perhaps explains why it's earned something of a cult following." -Salon.com

"Alper uses a Socratic technique to brilliantly and flawlessly argue that our concepts of spirit and God are derived from the mechanics of out brain...enormously important...full of scientific and philosophical truths." -Mark Waldman; senior editor, Transpersonal Review

From the Inside Flap:

Is Man a spiritual being, immortal, created by a God, or is he strictly physical in nature, destined to eternal dust? So begins the personal odyssey that propels the author to an arduous investigation of the entire physical universe that leads him, full circle, back to his own DNA.

Asserting that itís no coincidence that every culture has believed in some form of a spiritual realm, Alper posits that the human animal must be genetically ìhard-wiredî to perceive reality this way. And why would the forces of evolution have selected such a trait? According to Alper, in order to assuage the crippling anxiety engendered by our speciesí unique awareness of death, we evolved a cognitive adaptationóa coping mechanismóthat compels us to believe that though our bodies will one day die, our ìspiritsî will live on forever. In our brains lie natureís survival mechanisms in which gods, souls and afterlives are nothing but protective lenses through which humanity is ìwiredî to view the world...an inherited predisposition Alper refers to as ìnatureís white lie.î

Building upon this ìBio-Theologicalî premise, Alper goes on to explore the physical nature of religious/spiritual beliefs and experiences, atheism, religious conversion, drug-induced transcendental states, self-conscious awareness, near-death experiences, speaking in tongues, moral consciousness and more.

In this expanded re-release of what has been referred to as a modern cult classic, Alper asks us to look beyond our inherent religious propensities that repeatedly incite discrimination and war with the hope that we might one day replace them with a more promising secular humanistic ideology.

ìAlper uses a Socratic technique to brilliantly and flawlessly argue that our concepts of spirit and God are derived from the mechanics of our brain...enormously important...full of scientific and philosophical truths.î
óMark Waldman, senior editor,
Transpersonal Review»

After receiving a BA in Philosophy, Matthew Alper has led an unconventional life working as everything from an elementary and high school history teacher in the projects of Brooklyn to a truck smuggler in Central Africa, a personal tutor in the Philippines, and a produced screenwriter in Germany, after which he went on to write his acclaimed work, The ìGodî Part of the Brain.

ìYour book was sensational. Your writing was clear and concise; your summation was bold and masterful.î
óWilliam Wright, author of Born That Way: Genes, Behavior, Personality

ìI greatly appreciated The ëGodí Part of the Brain as it so nicely summarized and integrated much of the work being done in this field.î
óAndrew Newberg, MD, PhD, and author of Why God Wonít Go Away

About this edition

• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1402214529
• ISBN 13: 9781402214523
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288