Religion As Make-Believe - A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity

Drawing on a range of hard evidence, Neil Van Leeuwen shows that the psychological mechanisms underlying religious belief are the same as those enabling imaginative play. He argues that we should therefore understand religious belief as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express the values sacred to them.

About the author

Neil Van Leeuwen is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Neuroscience at Georgia State University and a recipient of the European Commission’s Marie Curie Fellowship. His research has been featured in the New York Times and The Atlantic and on NPR.

Product details

• Authors: Neil van Leeuwen, Neil Van Leeuwen
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 21.11.2023
• EAN: 9780674290334
• ISBN: 978-0-674-29033-4
• No. of pages: 312
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Psychology > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; PHILOSOPHY / Mind & Body, PHILOSOPHY / Religious, PHILOSOPHY / Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, RELIGION / Philosophy, SCIENCE / Cognitive Science, Philosophy of religion, Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge, Cognitive studies, Cognitive Science, Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge