Premium
Understanding Biology in Religious Experience: The Biogenetic Structuralist Approach of Eugene d’Aquili and Andrew Newberg
Author(s) -
Spezio Michael L.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
zygon®
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-9744
pISSN - 0591-2385
DOI - 10.1111/0591-2385.00374
Subject(s) - mysticism , religious experience , experiential learning , perspective (graphical) , scope (computer science) , narrative , mythology , sociology , epistemology , structuralism (philosophy of science) , philosophy , literature , theology , art , computer science , pedagogy , visual arts , programming language
What are the biological bases of religious experience? Are there biological constraints upon or determinants of religious narratives and practices? How does understanding the biology of religious experience inform the ongoing reconstruction of religious rituals and myths? In The Mystical Mind, Eugene d’Aquili and Andrew Newberg address these central questions and others from a distinct perspective called biogenetic structuralism. They propose a model of how brain activity gives rise to mystical experiential states, examine how neurobiological responses to rhythmic behavior form religious ritual, and point toward the development of a megatheology, or a theological system appealing to the widest scope of religious world‐views. This paper is a critical review of d’Aquili and Newberg's exciting work.