Theological Incorrectness

Jason Slone

ISBN 10: 0195335619 / ISBN 13: 9780195335613

Published by Oxford University Press Inc, US, 2007

About this Item

Why do religious people believe what they shouldn't - not what others think they shouldn't believe, but things that don't accord with their own avowed religious beliefs? Jason Slone terms this phenomenon 'theological incorrectness.' He argues that it exists because the mind is built in such a way that it's natural for us to think divergent thoughts simultaneously. Human minds are great at coming up with innovative ideas that help them make sense of the world, he says, but those ideas do not always jibe with official religious beliefs.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780195335613

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Theological Incorrectness
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, US
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195335619
• ISBN 13: 9780195335613
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Dimensions: 14.58W x 1.3H x 20.96D centimeters 14.58 centimeters width by 1.3 centimeters height by 20.96 centimeters depth
• Weight: 209 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Why do religious people believe what they shouldn't -- not what others think they shouldn't believe, but things that don't accord with their own avowed religious beliefs? D. Jason Slone terms this phenomenon "theological incorrectness." He argues that it exists because the mind is built in such a way that it's natural for us to think divergent thoughts simultaneously. Human minds are great at coming up with innovative ideas that help them make sense of the world, he says, but those ideas do not always jibe with official religious beliefs. From this fact we derive the important lesson that what we learn from our environment -- religious ideas, for example -- does not necessarily cause us to behave in ways consistent with that knowledge. Slone presents the latest discoveries from the cognitive science of religion and shows how they help us to understand exactly why it is that religious people do and think things that they shouldn't.