The human experience of consciousness and the divine has long been a source of fascination and curiosity. In recent decades, two seemingly disparate fields have emerged one after the other to rethink ...our experiences in new contexts: postmodernism and neurotheology. It was already obvious to Aristotle that logic is a reflection of language. This immanent coherence and the status of "truth" have been well-rethought by the neurosciences. Neurotheology offers a new field of research on key problems related to paralogisms, the aetiology of belief, and social beliefs in the direction of generating a new field of solutions. It attempts a kind of technical revision of why thinking suffers from deficiencies with a rather Cartesian approach. The other line of reasoning also provides interesting perspectives - the consideration of consciousness as a function of the universe. If successfully tested - this thesis would fundamentally change the perspective of psychology in the direction of a complete transformation and fusion with neuroscience. The big winner in the duel of positions is ethics - it would have to rethink its basic definitions, with all the social implications that entails. The advent of brain implants and large language models (which, driven by intellectual inertia, we call "artificial intelligence"), and advances in medicine and pharmacology certainly contribute to the possible realization of some, if not all, of these scenarios.
This article reviews the neuroscientific understanding of the self and personal identity, focusing on various elements of inclusivity and exclusivity as well as engaging religious and spiritual ...perspectives. We will also consider how the identity is comprised of biological, social, and ideological or spiritual aspects, and how they are interconnected. We will consider how the brain helps us to construct and maintain our representation of the self and what happens when we have self‐transcendent experiences. Such an evaluation will have implications for understanding the intersection between consciousness and the self. This information will be helpful from both the psychological and spiritual perspective for understanding human identity.
This article intends to be a revision of the concepts: methatheology and megatheology used by the neuroscientist Andrew Newberg in his book Principles of Neurotheology. First, a revision of the ...termtheology is made, from its Greek origin, to see if it is applicable or not to other religions. Secondly, the concept of neurotheology is evaluated as a methatheology or as a universal theology valid for all religions. And finally, the term megatheology isanalyzed, as a neurotheology that can be used conceptual and therapeutically by all religions insofar as it includes common elements to all of them. This analysis tries to underline the dangers of this proposal such as syncretism and a misunderstanding ofwhat really is the theology of religious pluralism.
This article reviews the most recent information and data regarding brain processes associated with altered states of consciousness. It takes a neurotheological approach, seeking to blend what is ...known about these states, particularly as they relate to religious and spiritual experiences,
in terms of brain processes and subjective elements of the experiences. The overall goal is to provide a comprehensive model that incorporates multiple brain areas including cortical, limbic, and subcortical structures, as well as considers the various neurotransmitters that might be involved.
It is the hope that this framework provides a starting point for future investigations into the detailed neurophysiological and phenomenal aspects of altered states of consciousness.
Neuro Rose, Nikolas S
2013., 20130221, 2013, 2013-02-21
eBook
The brain sciences are influencing our understanding of human behavior as never before, from neuropsychiatry and neuroeconomics to neurotheology and neuroaesthetics. Many now believe that the brain ...is what makes us human, and it seems that neuroscientists are poised to become the new experts in the management of human conduct.Neurodescribes the key developments--theoretical, technological, economic, and biopolitical--that have enabled the neurosciences to gain such traction outside the laboratory. It explores the ways neurobiological conceptions of personhood are influencing everything from child rearing to criminal justice, and are transforming the ways we "know ourselves" as human beings. In this emerging neuro-ontology, we are not "determined" by our neurobiology: on the contrary, it appears that we can and should seek to improve ourselves by understanding and acting on our brains.
Neuroexamines the implications of this emerging trend, weighing the promises against the perils, and evaluating some widely held concerns about a neurobiological "colonization" of the social and human sciences. Despite identifying many exaggerated claims and premature promises,Neuroargues that the openness provided by the new styles of thought taking shape in neuroscience, with its contemporary conceptions of the neuromolecular, plastic, and social brain, could make possible a new and productive engagement between the social and brain sciences.
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Neurotheology is an emerging academic discipline that examines mind-brain relationships in terms of the inter-relatedness of neuroscience, spirituality, and religion. Neurotheology originated from ...brain-scan studies that revealed specific correlations between certain religious thoughts and localized activated brain areas known as “God Spots.” This relatively young scholarly discipline lacks clear consensus on its definition, ideology, purpose, or prospects for future research. Of special interest is the consideration of the next steps using brain scans to develop this field of research. This review proposes nine categories of future research that could build on the foundation laid by the prior discoveries of God Spots. Specifically, this analysis identifies some sparsely addressed issues that could be usefully explored with new kinds of brain-scan studies: neural network operations, the cognitive neuroscience of prayer, biology of belief, measures of religiosity, role of the self, learning and memory, religious and secular cognitive commonalities, static and functional anatomy, and recruitment of neural processing circuitry. God Spot research is poised to move beyond observation to robust hypothesis generation and testing.
Abstract
This article reviews the neuroscientific understanding of the self and personal identity, focusing on various elements of inclusivity and exclusivity as well as engaging religious and ...spiritual perspectives. We will also consider how the identity is comprised of biological, social, and ideological or spiritual aspects, and how they are interconnected. We will consider how the brain helps us to construct and maintain our representation of the self and what happens when we have self‐transcendent experiences. Such an evaluation will have implications for understanding the intersection between consciousness and the self. This information will be helpful from both the psychological and spiritual perspective for understanding human identity.
Neurotheology in interfaith dialogue Kopel, Jonathan; Gorga, Carmine; Thomas, Paul ...
Proceedings - Baylor University. Medical Center,
04/2020, Volume:
33, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In recent years, a growing interfaith movement has sought to bring together worldviews from various religious and spiritual backgrounds to investigate life's biggest questions. However, it is ...remarkable that such dialogue is possible given the vast differences that exist between individuals. A relatively new but burgeoning field, known as neurotheology, has sought to address the neurological processes and mechanisms of religious thought and experience. Overall, neurotheology provides insight into the common thread of religious belief across cultures and the ability of humans to participate in interfaith dialogue. In this manner, the shared overlap with the human mind and religious belief enables the ability to dialogue and face the vast unknowns of our modern world.
Religiosity is a factor involved in the management of health and diseases/patient longevity. This review article uses comprehensive, evidence-based studies to evaluate the nature of religiosity that ...can be used in clinical studies, thus avoiding contradictory reports which arise from misinterpretation of religiosity. We conclude that religiosity is multidimensional in nature and ultimately associated with inherent protection against diseases and overall better quality of life. However, a number of untouched aspects of religiosity need to be investigated further before we can introduce religiosity in its fully functional form to the realm of health care.
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