To Believe or Not to Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems

by Rahasya Poe

Rahasya Poe

Genres: Nonfiction

326 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of work in which the "spiritual" intersects with science. Poe interviews about twenty current knowledge workers and thinkers. He's attempting to show that the brain chooses to reinforce its own already established belief pathways with new data that "proves" what it already thinks it knows. There are apparently dozens of scientists that are working in this area already, and he captures his conversations with many of them in this book.

It's an independently published book. There are websites and published works galore cited in this book. Well worth picking up. Each chapter can stand alone, so you don't have to read it at one sitting.

A really interesting book for people who don't know much about these things, but wonder why it is that people are so convinced by views that seem really out there, or people who won't listen to alternate points of view, like the extreme right wing fundamentalist (and nonreligious) nuts.

I'm not conversant with the basics of New Age thinking, but one of the core ideas is that we're moving, as a planet, away from individuality into cooperation (as a necessity for survival). Poe talks about this throughout, without the baggage that simplistic New Age thinking can bring, for example, like the belief that you cause your own cancer through your thoughts.

Highly recommended.

[Kerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is in another world of its own. Rahasya opens your eyes to alot of things about our world and government that has you laying awake at night in deep thought. What do you believe it and what have others influenced you to believe in? Do you really believe in it yourself or do you believe in it because the ones you love do? Or because that is the culture that you were born into believing from birth? Is anything you believe anymore, really what "you" believe? He goes through a process that shows you all different aspects of proving these things and trying to answer some of these questions. Or at least trys to help you think of what "you" truely believe and why. I find it very interesting in the way that he writes in his book, and how he truely relates to you, and makes you think most of all. I know of several friends that have researched his book and all of his work is credible and backed. All in all this is an amazing book and I advise all those who like to read about beliefs and religious aspects of this world to read this book.

To Believe or Not to Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I was able to drop my belief that books should be well-edited and proofread, I was able to appreciate Poe's thoughtfulness. His arguments are well reasoned and written, so I think he would have done well to present the views of his many interviewees in his own writing, instead of simply presenting the transcripts and their inherent redundancies. Even without his strong writing, the book is worth it just for its intriguing bibliography.