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Chapter 3 - Methodological Hazards in the Neuroscientific Study of Religion

from I.I - The Natures of Neurology and Religion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2019

By
Stuart Judge
Edited by
Alasdair Coles  and
Joanna Collicutt
Alasdair Coles
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Joanna Collicutt
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

The purpose of this chapter is to survey the various approaches and methods that have been employed in the attempt to study the extent to which religious beliefs, practices and experiences are associated with activity in different parts and pathways of the human brain. This includes not only the neurology of religion in the sense of how damage to the brain affects aspects of religious practice and belief, but also studies of neurotypical subjects. My aim has been to cover the full range of modern studies. For good measure I have mentioned some techniques that although not so far used for this purpose, could be used in future.

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Chapter
Information
Neurology and Religion , pp. 12 - 24
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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