{"product_id":"0143038338","title":"Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon","description":"\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003efor All The Thousands Of Books That Have Been Written About Religion, Few Until This One Have Attempted To Examine It Scientifically: To Ask Why—and How—it Has Shaped So Many Lives So Strongly. Is Religion A Product Of Blind Evolutionary Instinct Or Rational Choice? Is It Truly The Best Way To Live A Moral Life? Ranging Through Biology, History, And Psychology, Daniel C. Dennett Charts Religion's Evolution From “wild” Folk Belief To “domesticated” Dogma. Not An Antireligious Screed But An Unblinking Look Beneath The Veil Of Orthodoxy, \u003ci\u003ebreaking The Spell\u003c\/i\u003e Will Be Read And Debated By Believers And Skeptics Alike.\u003c\/p\u003e publishers Weekly \u003cp\u003ein His Characteristically Provocative Fashion, Dennett, Author Of Darwin's Dangerous Idea And Director Of The Center For Cognitive Studies At Tufts University, Calls For A Scientific, Rational Examination Of Religion That Will Lead Us To Understand What Purpose Religion Serves In Our Culture. Much Like E.o. Wilson (in Search Of Nature), Robert Wright (the Moral Animal), And Richard Dawkins (the Selfish Gene), Dennett Explores Religion As A Cultural Phenomenon Governed By The Processes Of Evolution And Natural Selection. Religion Survives Because It Has Some Kind Of Beneficial Role In Human Life, Yet Dennett Argues That It Has Also Played A Maleficent Role. He Elegantly Pleads For Religions To Engage In Empirical Self-examination To Protect Future Generations From The Ignorance So Often Fostered By Religion Hiding Behind Doctrinal Smoke Screens. Because Dennett Offers A Tentative Proposal For Exploring Religion As A Natural Phenomenon, His Book Is Sometimes Plagued By Generalizations That Leave Us Wanting More (only When We Can Frame A Comprehensive View Of The Many Aspects Of Religion Can We Formulate Defensible Policies For How To Respond To Religions In The Future). Although Much Of The Ground He Covers Has Already Been Well Trod, He Clearly Throws Down A Gauntlet To Religion. (feb. 6) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eCategories:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePolitics \u0026amp; Social Sciences\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePhilosophy\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eReligious\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReligion \u0026amp; Spirituality\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReligious Studies\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003ePhilosophy\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eScience \u0026amp; Religion\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOther Religions, Practices \u0026amp; Sacred Texts\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eTheism\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChristian Books \u0026amp; Bibles\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChristian Living\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eSelf Help\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScience \u0026amp; Math\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Philosophy\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBook details\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dennett, Daniel C\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e paperback\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Reprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Penguin Books\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e English\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 464\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780143038337\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Used - Good","offer_id":49321362260158,"sku":"0143038338-4","price":5.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0640\/9689\/5166\/files\/71598SryuJL.jpg?v=1792172002","url":"https:\/\/shop.sustainablebooks.com\/products\/0143038338","provider":"Sustainable Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}