The believing brain : from ghosts and gods to politics and conspiracies--how we construct beliefs and reinforce them as truths / Michael Shermer.
Material type: TextPublication details: New York : Times Books, 2011.Edition: 1st edDescription: xii, 385 p. : ill. ; 25 cmISBN:- 9781250008800 (pbk.)
- 9780805091250
- 0805091254
- 153.4 22
- BF773 .S54 2011
Item type | Current library | Shelving location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Books | Gulbanoo Premji Library, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru | 1st Floor | 153.4 SHE (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 27039 |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Mr. D'Arpino's dilemma -- Dr. Collins's conversion -- A skeptic's journey -- Patternicity -- Agenticity -- The believing neuron -- Belief in the afterlife -- Belief in god -- Belief in aliens -- Belief in conspiracies -- Politics of belief -- Confirmations of belief -- Geographies of belief -- Cosmologies of belief -- Epilogue: the truth is out there.
Shermer demonstrates how our brains selectively assess data in an attempt to confirm the conclusions (beliefs) we've already reached. Drawing on evolution, cognitive science, and neuroscience, he considers not only supernatural beliefs but political and economic ones as well.
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