Michael Shermer. The Believing Brain; From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies – How we construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths. Available on Amazon. For more details click HERE
Fantasy and fiction, truth and deception, magical thinking and plausible reality are all around and often within us. Emotionally driven faith with its feel-good beliefs and superficial convictions, in contrast to experientially verified relative truths, whether spiritual, psychic, or material, are always vying for our attention. For theosophists trying to find their way through this maze of illusionary reality, “The Believing Brain” could be a helpful guide on their journey. The work reviews scientific ideas that may require some deeper reflection, in its quest to better understand the brain’s tendency to perhaps blindly believe.
This book, based on scientific findings and interpretations, helps the reader better understand the challenges faced in our search for a brain-oriented reality-based truth, in agreement with one’s conceived spirituality. It may help one seek such a truth without falling prey to magical and delusional thinking amidst life illusions. Even such words as “reality-based truth” are subject to critique; nonetheless, such a truth is what Theosophy, and other systems, allege to present for our consideration. Understanding the how and why regarding our intimate biases and blinding beliefs might better help us navigate through our thoughts of what is false versus true concerning the life we believe in.
The author’s work provides us with a basic understanding of the neurobiology underlying the brain’s operation, which contributes to the establishing of general beliefs, developed schemas, and patterns of behavioral action. Patterns of actions and behaviors that when properly interpreted provide us with a greater likelihood of survival, as well as feelings of peace and comfort. Such patterns and their interpretations lead to beliefs regarding the world around and within us that we tenaciously hold on to throughout our lives, for better or worse.
He explores, in addition to patterns, the tendency of beings to invest “agenticity” to such patterns, which leads to the ideas of intent, purpose, and willful action being projected upon such patterns, and interpreted as a type of self, whether right or wrong.
Putting these thoughts together, our author then takes us on a reflective journey through “belief in things unseen”, i.e. the afterlife, God, aliens, and conspiracies, demonstrating how the underlying theories might account for such beliefs, whether true or false. He also explores basic ideas concerning the role of belief in politics, travel, and geographies throughout our history, as well as cosmological theories and beliefs, many of which had to be relinquished in the face of facts. The reluctance to do so, based on simple faith and blind belief without a basis in right knowledge, observation, and experience, being detrimental to our being, as well as physical evolution. A short review of cognitive distortions, that consciously or unconsciously skew our understandings and play a role in our perceptions, beliefs, and determinations of meaning, is presented.
The author finishes his work with a section, “The truth is out there.” He acknowledges for himself that he wants to both believe and know, and he feels that science is the best tool for uncovering truth.
What will you believe at the end? This is a work that can challenge our simple and blind belief in things as we would like them to be, which simply make us feel good, versus perhaps those more true, resulting in our discomfort, but greater wisdom.
We will leave you with these words from H.P.B., The Key to Theosophy, page 87, “Faith is a word not to be found in theosophical dictionaries: we say knowledge based on observation and experience.”
Since “There is no religion higher than truth”, this is a work that should be inviting, interesting, and challenging to any of the blind beliefs we hold, in our theosophical search for Reality, Wisdom and Compassion.
This edition of Notable Books was compiled by Eugene Jennings.