false 2784179 1 <p>Dr. George E. Vaillant, a research psychiatrist and director of Harvard&#8217;s famous seventy-year-long study of human lifetimes, brings a powerful voice to the ongoing debate about the nature of faith and its impact on history and society. In a scientifically based response to Richard Dawkins&#8217;s <i>The God Delusion</i> and Sam Harris&#8217;s <i>The End of Faith</i>, Vaillant shows that the defining components of spirituality&#8212;emotions such as love, compassion, hope, and forgiveness&#8212;are hardwired into a specific, identifiable part of the human brain. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, anthropology, and studies of animal behavior, he argues that evolution favors our spiritual behaviors. <br><i>Spiritual Evolution</i> draws an important distinction between spirituality and religion. A biological drive shared by all human beings, spirituality is a source of comfort to individuals and a positive force in general. Religion, in contrast, is instilled; reflecting cultural biases and history, it often feeds the passions that lead to violence and other destructive behavior. <br>Eye-opening and authoritative, <i>Spiritual Evolution</i> brings to light the intimate connection between the foundations of faith and the findings of science.</p> 2809941 20 5 2008 Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith total:9|5:2|4:5|3:1|2:1| 9 35 36 5 5 3 false false Fri Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 14:03:20 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 14:40:04 -0700 2008
The key point is the difference between the brain's mammalian limbic system and its reptilian amygdilla. Ap...more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Nov 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 27 07:17:04 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 07:17:04 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 20:36:35 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 20:46:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 16:22:33 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 16:25:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Nov 14 03:48:28 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 14 03:51:04 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Wed Nov 18 07:33:28 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 07:33:28 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 14 07:09:30 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 07:09:30 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 07 23:42:32 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 23:55:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 05 20:13:36 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 20:13:36 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Sep 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 09:11:02 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 14:33:42 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Aug 29 05:19:32 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 05:27:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 26 10:56:08 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 10:56:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Aug 23 18:13:57 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 18:13:57 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Aug 02 09:10:26 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 09:10:26 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 09:44:35 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 09:44:44 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jul 20 17:58:51 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 17:58:51 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 27 14:04:25 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 14:04:25 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue May 26 12:02:13 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 12:02:26 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat May 16 16:24:40 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 16:24:40 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri May 15 10:51:42 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 10:51:42 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2784179