Het Geloofsinstinct: Het Succes Van Religie (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
The need for new religions in the modern worldWith a broadly accessible even-tone, the author surveys the historical and social experience of human religions mainly in the theistic tradition, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Without being polemic nor overly passionate, the author explores the role that religion had performed in coalescing human societies through various stages of development. The book concluded on the religion’s current impediments in the modern world. The philosophic view of this book is scientific, anthropological and evolutionary with a nodding empathy to the emotional and aesthetic need of human consciousness through various religions. For a mind trained in empirical science, the book offers me a valuable starting point to understand the history of religious experience, the complex system interacted by religions in the social and political life. By examining the “what” and “how” in the dynamics of human history, I am persuaded by the author that the most of the traditional forms of religion is no longer serviceable. As a side note, this book is an excellent reference to explore religions role in social formation and warfares, as well as the conflicts between nations and civilizations. ** Self note indirectly related to this particularly book **This book will lead to more inquiry to the philosophic realm of consciousness and other issues in the psycho-emotional space. Spirituality and religion needs to be distilled of historicity and social function for my next stage of inquiry. An artificial suppression of evidence-based reasoning not a viable option, even at the potential fulfillment of our natural drive toward life’s meaningfulness. We need to continue our own search at the sobering platform thoughtfully laid by scholastic research in the past several two hundred years. As modern life takes us away from the communal, the ritual, the rhythmic body movements , one has the bracing task of seeking the meaningfulness fitting our individual intelligence, psychological preference, and bodily realities. No neighborhood church would automatically fulfill our needs to be the modern individual; no lofty social imperative either. In security and wellness one must constantly remind us the human life in the inevitable seasons of fear and illness. This is the most important book that I've read in my entire life. I've been in something of a malaise for years. There was a disconnect in the world. Why is there religion? And why does religion hold such a grip on humankind?The Faith Intinct was the light that went on. I was pulling threads from other sources on the outskirts of the topic, but this book was the water shed that revealed: religion is an evolutionary adaptation.Nicholas Wade has wrtten the book from a neutral position and has nothing to say about the existence of gods or supernatural beings or souls and so caters to neither the atheist or believer's camp.You might think that nonbelievers would have flocked to the author in droves, but strangely enough most of the New Atheists reject the proposition. They doubt that much about religion could be heritable (in our genes).Nicholas Wade, however, brings forth very persuasive evidence--of all kinds. In weighing his arguments and considering his factual evidence, a reasonable person may well be swayed.I have both the print book and audiobook and enjoy them both. You owe it to yourself to dig into one. It's entertaining reading and quite thought provoking. In the audio version, you can hear Alan Sklar, the narrator, who is a singular god among narrators. If there is a god, he should imitate Alan Sklar.
What do You think about Het Geloofsinstinct: Het Succes Van Religie (2000)?
I thought Wade presented a reasonable explanation for why humans are so religious via evolution.
—rhona121
Not life-changing, but he makes some solid points.
—jose23230
