Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind: What Mental Abnormalities Can Teach Us About Religions
Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind: What Mental Abnormalities Can Teach Us About Religions
Overview
Description
that a certain religious ritual must be repeated, repeated, and repeated lest God punish him. To what extent are such manifestations of religious thinking analogous to mental disorder? Does mental dysfunction bring an individual closer to religious experience or thought?
Hearing Voices and Other
Unusual Experiences explores these questions using the tools of the cognitive science of religion and the philosophy of psychopathology.
Robert McCauley and George Graham emphasize underlying cognitive continuities between familiar features of religiosity, of mental disorders, and of everyday thinking and action. They contend that much religious thought and behavior can be explained as the cultural activation of our natural
cognitive systems, which address matters that are essential to human survival: hazard precautions, agency detection, language processing, and theory of mind. Those systems produce responses to cultural stimuli that may mimic features of cognition and conduct associated with mental disorders, but
which are sometimes coded as religious depending on the context.
The authors examine hallucinations of the voice of God and of other supernatural agents, spiritual depression often described as a dark night of the soul, religious scrupulosity and compulsiveness, and challenges to theistic cognition that Autistic Spectrum Disorder poses. Their approach promises
to shed light on both mental abnormalities and religiosity.
Editorial Reviews
Hearing Voices will be of great interest to those invested in the cognitive science of religion. -- Robert F. Shedinger, Luther College,
European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT)
What do speaking in tongues, the dark night of the soul, and endless repetition of ritual share in common? McCauley and Graham's book has some tantalizing answers. This is a wonderful book filled with many insights about some of the great mysteries of religious thinking and experience. -- Ara
Norenzayan, author of
Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
This book shows that the study of religious experiences and mental disorders can and should inform each other. In the process it makes an eloquent plea for ecumenical naturalism, emphasizing the need to break down disciplinary silos while strengthening commitment to scientific methods. This should
be a clarion call for all branches of the social and cognitive sciences. Hats off to McCauley and Graham for showing us how it can be done. -- Harvey Whitehouse, Chair of Social Anthropology, University of Oxford
Studying what happens when the mind goes awry can give us insights concerning normal psychological functioning. McCauley and Graham apply this principle to religious thought and action to great effect. Well-studied and convincingly presented,
Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind is without
peer in productively bringing psychopathology and the scientific study of religion together. -- Justin L. Barrett, author of
Born Believers: The Science of Children's Religious Beliefs
McCauley and Graham are leading figures in philosophy mind, philosophy of psychiatry, and the cognitive science of religion.
Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind Âis a deeply respectful, humane, and productive exploration of familiar existential states of mind -- dark nights of the soul,
expansive love, anxiety, fear and trembling, depression, transcendence, and hope -- that are sources for spiritual impulses. A central focus is the fact that sometimes spiritual virtuosity seems like what from another perspective we might think are illusions and delusions, mental illness. What are we
to make of this? This is a book of great wisdom and grace in the tradition of Soren Kierkegaard and William James. A book that really makes one think. -- Owen Flanagan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke University
About the Author
Robert N. McCauley is William Rand Kenan Jr. University Professor of Philosophy at Emory University and the founding Director of Emory's Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture. He is the author of
Why Religion Is Natural and
Science Is Not and Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of
Religion. He is also the co-author, with E. Thomas Lawson, of
Rethinking Religion and Bringing Ritual to Mind. He has been elected president of both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion, and he will serve as a Gifford
Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in 2021.
George Graham has held professorships in philosophy at Alabama-Birmingham, Georgia State, and Wake Forest, where he was A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy. He has published more than a dozen books, including
The Disordered Mind and
The Abraham Dilemma: A Divine Delusion. He is also co-author, with
G. Lynn Stephens, of
When Self-Consciousness Breaks. He has served as President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and received numerous awards for teaching and research awards from such institutions as The Rockefeller Foundation and The National Endowment for the Humanities.
Why Religion Is Natural and
Science Is Not and Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of
Religion. He is also the co-author, with E. Thomas Lawson, of
Rethinking Religion and Bringing Ritual to Mind. He has been elected president of both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion, and he will serve as a Gifford
Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in 2021.
George Graham has held professorships in philosophy at Alabama-Birmingham, Georgia State, and Wake Forest, where he was A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy. He has published more than a dozen books, including
The Disordered Mind and
The Abraham Dilemma: A Divine Delusion. He is also co-author, with
G. Lynn Stephens, of
When Self-Consciousness Breaks. He has served as President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and received numerous awards for teaching and research awards from such institutions as The Rockefeller Foundation and The National Endowment for the Humanities.
Condition Guidelines
Books - New and Used
The following guidelines apply to books:
- New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
- Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
- Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.
Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping Fees
- Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
- Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
- No additional fees and charges.
Delivery Times
The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.
Estimated delivery times:
- Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
- Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days
Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.
Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times.
Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.).
If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.
Returns & Refunds
You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.
Additional non-returnable items:
- Gift cards
- Downloadable software products
- Some health and personal care items
To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)
- Book with obvious signs of use
- CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
- Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
- Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery
Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.
Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.
If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:
- Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
- Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
- Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.
Shipping Cost
We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
Categories
Overview
Description
that a certain religious ritual must be repeated, repeated, and repeated lest God punish him. To what extent are such manifestations of religious thinking analogous to mental disorder? Does mental dysfunction bring an individual closer to religious experience or thought?
Hearing Voices and Other
Unusual Experiences explores these questions using the tools of the cognitive science of religion and the philosophy of psychopathology.
Robert McCauley and George Graham emphasize underlying cognitive continuities between familiar features of religiosity, of mental disorders, and of everyday thinking and action. They contend that much religious thought and behavior can be explained as the cultural activation of our natural
cognitive systems, which address matters that are essential to human survival: hazard precautions, agency detection, language processing, and theory of mind. Those systems produce responses to cultural stimuli that may mimic features of cognition and conduct associated with mental disorders, but
which are sometimes coded as religious depending on the context.
The authors examine hallucinations of the voice of God and of other supernatural agents, spiritual depression often described as a dark night of the soul, religious scrupulosity and compulsiveness, and challenges to theistic cognition that Autistic Spectrum Disorder poses. Their approach promises
to shed light on both mental abnormalities and religiosity.
Editorial Reviews
Hearing Voices will be of great interest to those invested in the cognitive science of religion. -- Robert F. Shedinger, Luther College,
European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT)
What do speaking in tongues, the dark night of the soul, and endless repetition of ritual share in common? McCauley and Graham's book has some tantalizing answers. This is a wonderful book filled with many insights about some of the great mysteries of religious thinking and experience. -- Ara
Norenzayan, author of
Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
This book shows that the study of religious experiences and mental disorders can and should inform each other. In the process it makes an eloquent plea for ecumenical naturalism, emphasizing the need to break down disciplinary silos while strengthening commitment to scientific methods. This should
be a clarion call for all branches of the social and cognitive sciences. Hats off to McCauley and Graham for showing us how it can be done. -- Harvey Whitehouse, Chair of Social Anthropology, University of Oxford
Studying what happens when the mind goes awry can give us insights concerning normal psychological functioning. McCauley and Graham apply this principle to religious thought and action to great effect. Well-studied and convincingly presented,
Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind is without
peer in productively bringing psychopathology and the scientific study of religion together. -- Justin L. Barrett, author of
Born Believers: The Science of Children's Religious Beliefs
McCauley and Graham are leading figures in philosophy mind, philosophy of psychiatry, and the cognitive science of religion.
Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind Âis a deeply respectful, humane, and productive exploration of familiar existential states of mind -- dark nights of the soul,
expansive love, anxiety, fear and trembling, depression, transcendence, and hope -- that are sources for spiritual impulses. A central focus is the fact that sometimes spiritual virtuosity seems like what from another perspective we might think are illusions and delusions, mental illness. What are we
to make of this? This is a book of great wisdom and grace in the tradition of Soren Kierkegaard and William James. A book that really makes one think. -- Owen Flanagan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke University
About the Author
Robert N. McCauley is William Rand Kenan Jr. University Professor of Philosophy at Emory University and the founding Director of Emory's Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture. He is the author of
Why Religion Is Natural and
Science Is Not and Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of
Religion. He is also the co-author, with E. Thomas Lawson, of
Rethinking Religion and Bringing Ritual to Mind. He has been elected president of both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion, and he will serve as a Gifford
Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in 2021.
George Graham has held professorships in philosophy at Alabama-Birmingham, Georgia State, and Wake Forest, where he was A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy. He has published more than a dozen books, including
The Disordered Mind and
The Abraham Dilemma: A Divine Delusion. He is also co-author, with
G. Lynn Stephens, of
When Self-Consciousness Breaks. He has served as President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and received numerous awards for teaching and research awards from such institutions as The Rockefeller Foundation and The National Endowment for the Humanities.
Why Religion Is Natural and
Science Is Not and Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of
Religion. He is also the co-author, with E. Thomas Lawson, of
Rethinking Religion and Bringing Ritual to Mind. He has been elected president of both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion, and he will serve as a Gifford
Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in 2021.
George Graham has held professorships in philosophy at Alabama-Birmingham, Georgia State, and Wake Forest, where he was A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy. He has published more than a dozen books, including
The Disordered Mind and
The Abraham Dilemma: A Divine Delusion. He is also co-author, with
G. Lynn Stephens, of
When Self-Consciousness Breaks. He has served as President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and received numerous awards for teaching and research awards from such institutions as The Rockefeller Foundation and The National Endowment for the Humanities.
Condition Guidelines
Books - New and Used
The following guidelines apply to books:
- New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
- Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
- Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.
Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping Fees
- Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
- Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
- No additional fees and charges.
Delivery Times
The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.
Estimated delivery times:
- Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
- Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days
Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.
Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times.
Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.).
If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.
Returns & Refunds
You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.
Additional non-returnable items:
- Gift cards
- Downloadable software products
- Some health and personal care items
To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)
- Book with obvious signs of use
- CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
- Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
- Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery
Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.
Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.
If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:
- Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
- Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
- Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.
Shipping Cost
We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
Categories
Oops!
Sorry, it looks like some products are not available in selected quantity.
