Why Beliefs Matter

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Why Beliefs Matter

Author : E. Brian Davies
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191591564
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Beliefs Matter by : E. Brian Davies

Download or read book Why Beliefs Matter written by E. Brian Davies and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2010-07-09 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the follow-up to his acclaimed Science in the Looking Glass, Brian Davies discusses deep problems about our place in the world, using a minimum of technical jargon. The book argues that 'absolutist' ideas of the objectivity of science, dating back to Plato, continue to mislead generations of both theoretical physicists and theologians. It explains that the multi-layered nature of our present descriptions of the world is unavoidable, not because of anything about the world, but because of our own human natures. It tries to rescue mathematics from the singular and exceptional status that it has been assigned, as much by those who understand it as by those who do not. Working throughout from direct quotations from many of the important contributors to its subject, it concludes with a penetrating criticism of many of the recent contributions to the often acrimonious debates about science and religions.

Why Beliefs Matter

Author : E. Brian Davies
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199586209
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (995 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Beliefs Matter by : E. Brian Davies

Download or read book Why Beliefs Matter written by E. Brian Davies and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-08 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: `It is a brilliant work, beautifully written, and brimming with surprising information and stimulating philosophical speculations.' Notices of teh American Mathematical Society --

Religion Matters

Author : Prothero, Stephen
Publisher : W.W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393422046
Total Pages : 11 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion Matters by : Prothero, Stephen

Download or read book Religion Matters written by Prothero, Stephen and published by W.W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2020-07-01 with total page 11 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A religion is a system of stories, and there is no better way to engage with the worldÕs religions than through the stories that animate their beliefs and practices. Through the exploration of these ancient stories and contemporary practices, Stephen Prothero, a New York TimesÐbestselling author and gifted storyteller, helps students better grasp the role of religion in our fractured world and to develop greater religious literacy. Videos and an award-winning adaptive learning tool, InQuizitive, further engage students and help them master core objectives and develop their own religious literacy.

How and why Books Matter

Author : James Washington Watts
Publisher : Equinox Publishing (UK)
ISBN 13 : 9781781797686
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (976 download)

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Book Synopsis How and why Books Matter by : James Washington Watts

Download or read book How and why Books Matter written by James Washington Watts and published by Equinox Publishing (UK). This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The iconic books project -- How books matter: three dimensions of scriptures -- Iconic books and texts -- Relic texts -- Iconic digital texts: how ritual makes virtual texts material -- Desecrated scriptures and the news media -- Ancient iconic texts -- Rival iconic texts: Ten Commandments monuments and the U.S. constitution -- Book aniconism: the codex, translation and beliefs about immaterial texts -- Mass literacy and scholarly expertise -- Why books matter: preservation and disposal

True to the Life. [A novel.]

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 314 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis True to the Life. [A novel.] by :

Download or read book True to the Life. [A novel.] written by and published by . This book was released on 1868 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Faith Versus Fact

Author : Jerry A. Coyne
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143108263
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Faith Versus Fact by : Jerry A. Coyne

Download or read book Faith Versus Fact written by Jerry A. Coyne and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A superbly argued book.” —Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion The New York Times bestselling author of Why Evolution is True explains why any attempt to make religion compatible with science is doomed to fail In this provocative book, evolutionary biologist Jerry A. Coyne lays out in clear, dispassionate detail why the toolkit of science, based on reason and empirical study, is reliable, while that of religion—including faith, dogma, and revelation—leads to incorrect, untestable, or conflicting conclusions. Coyne is responding to a national climate in which more than half of Americans don’t believe in evolution, members of Congress deny global warming, and long-conquered childhood diseases are reappearing because of religious objections to inoculation, and he warns that religious prejudices in politics, education, medicine, and social policy are on the rise. Extending the bestselling works of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens, he demolishes the claims of religion to provide verifiable “truth” by subjecting those claims to the same tests we use to establish truth in science. Coyne irrefutably demonstrates the grave harm—to individuals and to our planet—in mistaking faith for fact in making the most important decisions about the world we live in. Praise for Faith Versus Fact: “A profound and lovely book . . . showing that the honest doubts of science are better . . . than the false certainties of religion.” —Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith

Understanding Beliefs

Author : Nils J. Nilsson
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262321130
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (623 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding Beliefs by : Nils J. Nilsson

Download or read book Understanding Beliefs written by Nils J. Nilsson and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What beliefs are, what they do for us, how we come to hold them, and how to evaluate them. Our beliefs constitute a large part of our knowledge of the world. We have beliefs about objects, about culture, about the past, and about the future. We have beliefs about other people, and we believe that they have beliefs as well. We use beliefs to predict, to explain, to create, to console, to entertain. Some of our beliefs we call theories, and we are extraordinarily creative at constructing them. Theories of quantum mechanics, evolution, and relativity are examples. But so are theories about astrology, alien abduction, guardian angels, and reincarnation. All are products (with varying degrees of credibility) of fertile minds trying to find explanations for observed phenomena. In this book, Nils Nilsson examines beliefs: what they do for us, how we come to hold them, and how to evaluate them. We should evaluate our beliefs carefully, Nilsson points out, because they influence so many of our actions and decisions. Some of our beliefs are more strongly held than others, but all should be considered tentative and changeable. Nilsson shows that beliefs can be quantified by probability, and he describes networks of beliefs in which the probabilities of some beliefs affect the probabilities of others. He argues that we can evaluate our beliefs by adapting some of the practices of the scientific method and by consulting expert opinion. And he warns us about “belief traps”—holding onto beliefs that wouldn't survive critical evaluation. The best way to escape belief traps, he writes, is to expose our beliefs to the reasoned criticism of others.

After You Believe

Author : N. T. Wright
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061730556
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (617 download)

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Book Synopsis After You Believe by : N. T. Wright

Download or read book After You Believe written by N. T. Wright and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It's easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we're here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.

The Believing Brain

Author : Michael Shermer
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1429972610
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis The Believing Brain by : Michael Shermer

Download or read book The Believing Brain written by Michael Shermer and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-05-24 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Believing Brain is bestselling author Michael Shermer's comprehensive and provocative theory on how beliefs are born, formed, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished. In this work synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist, historian of science, and the world's best-known skeptic Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. From sensory data flowing in through the senses, the brain naturally begins to look for and find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning. Our brains connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen, and these patterns become beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop of belief confirmation. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths. Interlaced with his theory of belief, Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not a belief matches reality.

What We Believe

Author : Laleña Garcia
Publisher : Lee & Low Books
ISBN 13 : 9781643794778
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (947 download)

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Book Synopsis What We Believe by : Laleña Garcia

Download or read book What We Believe written by Laleña Garcia and published by Lee & Low Books. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This powerful activity book will engage hands, hearts, and minds as it introduces children to the guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement. When the Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013, the three founders--Alicia Garza, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, and Opal Tometi--anchored its work in a list of guiding principles, developed through conversation with other activists. These principles commit the movement to empathy, loving engagement, and just action among its participants; affirm the importance of Black women, families, elders, and LGBTQ folk; and celebrate the strength and diversity of Black people in their communities and around the globe. Now young people can explore these powerful principles in What We Believe: A Black Lives Matter Principles Activity Book. Created by two teachers with more than thirty-five years of educational experience between them, the book presents the guiding principles in down-to-earth, child-friendly language, with each principle accompanied by writing prompts, space for children or adults to create their own reflections, and a coloring page. Supporting materials guide adults in sharing the principles with children and encourage kids to dream big and take action within their communities. An essential resource for anyone discussing racial equity with young people, What We Believe offers a beautiful and inspiring lens on the most important social justice movement of our time. Lee & Low Books will donate a portion of its proceeds from the book to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc.

Rationality

Author : Steven Pinker
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0241380308
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (413 download)

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Book Synopsis Rationality by : Steven Pinker

Download or read book Rationality written by Steven Pinker and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 'Punchy, funny and invigorating ... Pinker is the high priest of rationalism' Sunday Times 'If you've ever considered taking drugs to make yourself smarter, read Rationality instead. It's cheaper, more entertaining, and more effective' Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind In the twenty-first century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that discovered vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, quack cures and conspiracy theorizing? In Rationality, Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply an irrational species - cavemen out of time fatally cursed with biases, fallacies and illusions. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives and set the benchmarks for rationality itself. Instead, he explains, we think in ways that suit the low-tech contexts in which we spend most of our lives, but fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning we have built up over millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, causal inference, and decision-making under uncertainty. These tools are not a standard part of our educational curricula, and have never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book - until now. Rationality matters. It leads to better choices in our lives and in the public sphere, and is the ultimate driver of social justice and moral progress. Brimming with insight and humour, Rationality will enlighten, inspire and empower. 'A terrific book, much-needed for our time' Peter Singer

Beliefs That Matter

Author : William Adams Brown
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781494091057
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Beliefs That Matter by : William Adams Brown

Download or read book Beliefs That Matter written by William Adams Brown and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a new release of the original 1928 edition.

Beliefs that Matter

Author : William Adams Brown
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Beliefs that Matter by : William Adams Brown

Download or read book Beliefs that Matter written by William Adams Brown and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Thing about Religion

Author : David Morgan
Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469662841
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis The Thing about Religion by : David Morgan

Download or read book The Thing about Religion written by David Morgan and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2021-03-19 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Common views of religion typically focus on the beliefs and meanings derived from revealed scriptures, ideas, and doctrines. David Morgan has led the way in radically broadening that framework to encompass the understanding that religions are fundamentally embodied, material forms of practice. This concise primer shows readers how to study what has come to be termed material religion—the ways religious meaning is enacted in the material world. Material religion includes the things people wear, eat, sing, touch, look at, create, and avoid. It also encompasses the places where religion and the social realities of everyday life, including gender, class, and race, intersect in physical ways. This interdisciplinary approach brings religious studies into conversation with art history, anthropology, and other fields. In the book, Morgan lays out a range of theories, terms, and concepts and shows how they work together to center materiality in the study of religion. Integrating carefully curated visual evidence, Morgan then applies these ideas and methods to case studies across a variety of religious traditions, modeling step-by-step analysis and emphasizing the importance of historical context. The Thing about Religion will be an essential tool for experts and students alike. Two free, downloadable course syllabi created by the author are available online.

The Basics of Christian Belief

Author : Joshua Strahan
Publisher : Baker Academic
ISBN 13 : 1493423932
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis The Basics of Christian Belief by : Joshua Strahan

Download or read book The Basics of Christian Belief written by Joshua Strahan and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This reader-friendly yet robust introduction to the Christian faith explores the essentials of Christianity and the impact they have on life, worldview, and witness. Written in an accessible and engaging voice for college-age readers, the book connects the biblical plotline, the Apostles' Creed, the comparative distinctiveness of Christianity, and life's big questions. The author shows how the Christian metanarrative speaks to questions about purpose, worth, ethics, personhood, and more, and helps readers understand what it means to be a Christian in a post-Christian world.

The Misinformation Age

Author : Cailin O'Connor
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300241003
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis The Misinformation Age by : Cailin O'Connor

Download or read book The Misinformation Age written by Cailin O'Connor and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-08 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Empowering and thoroughly researched, this book offers useful contemporary analysis and possible solutions to one of the greatest threats to democracy.” —Kirkus Reviews Editors’ choice, The New York Times Book Review Recommended reading, Scientific American Why should we care about having true beliefs? And why do demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread despite bad, even fatal, consequences for the people who hold them? Philosophers of science Cailin O’Connor and James Weatherall argue that social factors, rather than individual psychology, are what’s essential to understanding the spread and persistence of false beliefs. It might seem that there’s an obvious reason that true beliefs matter: false beliefs will hurt you. But if that’s right, then why is it (apparently) irrelevant to many people whether they believe true things or not? The Misinformation Age, written for a political era riven by “fake news,” “alternative facts,” and disputes over the validity of everything from climate change to the size of inauguration crowds, shows convincingly that what you believe depends on who you know. If social forces explain the persistence of false belief, we must understand how those forces work in order to fight misinformation effectively. “[The authors] deftly apply sociological models to examine how misinformation spreads among people and how scientific results get misrepresented in the public sphere.” —Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American “A notable new volume . . . The Misinformation Age explains systematically how facts are determined and changed—whether it is concerning the effects of vaccination on children or the Russian attack on the integrity of the electoral process.” —Roger I. Abrams, New York Journal of Books

50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

Author : Guy P. Harrison
Publisher : Prometheus Books
ISBN 13 : 1616144963
Total Pages : 460 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (161 download)

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Book Synopsis 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True by : Guy P. Harrison

Download or read book 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True written by Guy P. Harrison and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2012-01-03 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “What would it take to create a world in which fantasy is not confused for fact and public policy is based on objective reality?" asks Neil deGrasse Tyson, science popularizer and author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. "I don't know for sure. But a good place to start would be for everyone on earth to read this book." Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you're trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon. How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like? This down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims will help you set the record straight. The author, a veteran journalist, has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored "the most haunted house in America," frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a "contrite Roswell alien." He is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction. Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, this book invites readers to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.