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Saturday, September 06, 2008

Reviewer thinks The Spiritual Brain should have been longer?

Quite a favourable review of The Spiritual Brain by Derrick Hassert, associate professor of Psychology at Trinity Christian College (University of Southern Illinois), appeared in Christian Scholar’s Review ((Volume XXXVII, Number 4 Summer 2008)). It ends with:
Overall, one is left with the feeling that, given more time, each section of the text could have been developed into a stand-alone volume. While this may be one of the book's weaknesses, it may also be one of its strengths, for in one unintimidating volume, the reader is exposed to current and past neuroscientific attempts to explain religious phenomena, empirical and philosophical problems with an eliminativist approach to the psychology and philosophy of mind, and cutting-edge research examining the neurological correlates of religious experience. It is recommended to general readers as well as those with an interest in neuroscience and the philosophy of mind.
This sounds like a somewhat academic way of saying, "If you read this book, there are books out there that you needn't bother with."

By the way, Dr. Hassert notes, "Each section of the text could have been developed into a stand-alone volume."

Sure it could, but I don't think our publisher thought the market was quite ready for a ten-volume set? Maybe in a couple of years ....

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