The Honest Liar: Episode #6

Originally published 3.8.2010

Lionel Tiger, Charles Darwin Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University, talks about how religion takes place in brains, and not just in churches, temples and mosques. He explains how the brain created religion, and how religion feeds the brain. He relates his own experiences of religion, as a skeptic. He contrasts his approach to the scientific study of religion with that of the New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins. He describes how feelings of connection resulting from religion are a function of neurochemistry, and how churches are “serotonin factories.” He talks about why interest in human sexuality is so often intertwined with religious pursuits. And he explores why secular institutions may fail to inspire commitment as compared to religion.

For further reading, an excellent book on my subject matter this week would be: The Hidden Language of Baseball by Paul Dickson.