The neuroscience of religious experience /

Formal study of the relationship between science and religion has expanded dramatically in the past decade, as evidenced by an explosion of books, journals, college courses, and popular media dealing with the subject. Scholars and authors are currently faced with the daunting challenge of bringing a unique perspective to this very crowded philosophical college. McNamara (neurology, Boston Univ. School of Medicine) has constructed a thesis that has met this challenge. While many professionals have posited a correlation between religious experience and neurophysiological phenomena, very few have made attempts to connect these with a concrete understanding of the self. This connection represents the foundation of the uniqueness of this author's work. A significant portion of the book contains an exploration of the concept that religious experience has a powerful transformative and developmental effect on human consciousness. McNamara presents a clear and well-articulated scholarly work that synergistically combines core concepts in neuroscience, philosophy, and religion. The clarity of the writing and breadth of coverage will appeal to students and scholars from diverse fields of study. The book is fully indexed and replete with references. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. A. Hewlett Finger Lakes Community College