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6th out of 226 books
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546 voters
The Invention of Religion
In this book, the author explores the question of whether religions were invented by humans or given to us by some other means. It is a scientific look at how ancient humans made sense of the world and the phenomena they encountered around them.
In the past, arguments against the existence of gods have mainly come in the form of scientific inquiries that attempt to show the...more
In the past, arguments against the existence of gods have mainly come in the form of scientific inquiries that attempt to show the...more
Kindle Edition, 126 pages
Published
January 2012
by The Emperor Has No Clothes Press
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The Invention of Religion is an investigation into the evolutionary origins of religion.
Drake takes us through what almost seems like a mathematical proof (although less confounding) of how religions would have formed in early humans. He uses a “Man on an Island” as an abstract representative for early man—like an unknown in a math equation—and then explores certain psychological phenomena to see how early man would have reacted to certain pressures. The book really goes in depth into the psycho...more
Drake takes us through what almost seems like a mathematical proof (although less confounding) of how religions would have formed in early humans. He uses a “Man on an Island” as an abstract representative for early man—like an unknown in a math equation—and then explores certain psychological phenomena to see how early man would have reacted to certain pressures. The book really goes in depth into the psycho...more
This is a great book on the origin and natural evolution of religion in humanity. It's a little bit of Child Psychology, Abnormal Psych, Anthropology, Biology, Evolution, Anatomy and Physiology, and other subjects that I'm sure that I am missing. There is a fantastic bibliography in the back of the book that I am sure I will look through again at some point for reading material. (Probably in a few years when I reread this review.)
Thankfully it sticks to science and research and stays away from...more
Thankfully it sticks to science and research and stays away from...more
The Invention of Religion by Alexander Drake
“The Invention of Religion" is a brief, well-referenced, well-argumented book that provides the most likely psychological mechanisms that led to the invention of religion. As the author notes, “In the absence of knowledge, humans will invent a religion”. This is the perfect introductory-level book for the layperson. The author does a wonderful job of laying down the foundation of his theories and building sound arguments to a satisfying conclusion. Thi...more
“The Invention of Religion" is a brief, well-referenced, well-argumented book that provides the most likely psychological mechanisms that led to the invention of religion. As the author notes, “In the absence of knowledge, humans will invent a religion”. This is the perfect introductory-level book for the layperson. The author does a wonderful job of laying down the foundation of his theories and building sound arguments to a satisfying conclusion. Thi...more
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One thing that I really liked about The Invention of Religion was its focus on psychology, since that is really the only way we can "know" early man. Each chapter explores new psychological phenomena to see how early man would have reacted to certain pressures and I felt that I could really see the world through their eyes.
Even with its emphasis on psychology, this book delves into other interesting topics like the origins of morality, experiments with prayer, free will, etc.
And I really thought...more
Even with its emphasis on psychology, this book delves into other interesting topics like the origins of morality, experiments with prayer, free will, etc.
And I really thought...more
A fairly short concise read regarding evidence that religion is nothing more than a human invention. It does a fairly decent job of laying out the evidence, and though some of the evidence has been around for some time, the author puts it together in one place with this book. I found this book to be a good place to start exploring the concept that religion is make believe and should promise to be a good source for further exploration (see the cited works section). I found the section on NDEs and
...more
I really enjoyed The Invention of Religion, because it was very logically written. It is basically an exploration of how religions come to be. It's a really interesting exploration of ancient human psychology.
I felt like this was a much more enjoyable read than other books on the same topic because the author wasn't belligerent. The most interesting thing (for me, at least) was that it read almost like a mathematical proof (although less confounding). While reading this book, I could tell that D...more
I felt like this was a much more enjoyable read than other books on the same topic because the author wasn't belligerent. The most interesting thing (for me, at least) was that it read almost like a mathematical proof (although less confounding). While reading this book, I could tell that D...more
Drake’s fascinating book explores the origins not of particular religions but religion as a whole. He breaks religion down into various components and explores how these aspects of a faith could have logically begun. Tapping into psychological experiments as a basis for some of the theories, Drake also draws on the hypothetical Man on an Island to support the arguments being put forward. This is not a book saying that religion is wrong, but it does try to convey how religions are built by those...more
I had been looking forward to reading this for a long while and I finally got the time this weekend. And I was happy that it was interesting enough to read entirely in one day. I can’t always do that with non-fiction books. The explanations of the “psychological phenomena” are interesting in their own right, but even more so when tied into the whole premise. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book. It really encourages you to reconsider things you might have taken for granted.
I have read many books on atheism, so I didn't really expect to learn anything new when I picked up a copy of The Invention of Religion, but I was pleasantly surprised. Drake proposes many new ideas that I don't think anyone has written about before and seems to make a very good case that religions are just inventions of mankind. It is also a well-organized book and I highly recommended it for anyone who wants more ammo for debates.
This is probably the best atheist book I’ve read.
I’ve read a few by Dawkins, but when you read his books you can just tell that he’s a jerk, so you almost don’t want to agree with him even though you do. Drake is a much more objective writer/thinker.
I’ve read a few by Dawkins, but when you read his books you can just tell that he’s a jerk, so you almost don’t want to agree with him even though you do. Drake is a much more objective writer/thinker.
WHATTA a book this is! if you are not prejudiced or have open minded approach to ideas, you will love this book. goes into the deep insights of how, why religion was formed. why do we need it today and in fact do we really need it now?
Real insight into the most likely (and dare I say the most obvious)psychological triggers, mechanisms, reasoning behind the invention of the nonsense that is religion. Second Drake book I have read and just as interesting.
This highly accessible book is filled with those 'fancy thats' that go over good at parties and it answers all the things you'd want to know about the origins of religions. A fascinating book!
This book addresses many of the things that I have been thinking about lately. I would recommend it.
This book is brilliant. A real eye-opener. I think I'm gonna read it again.
Excellent! Really gets down to the nuts and bolts of why religions exist.
Interesting look at the evolution of religious beliefs. Creationists would not approve.
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