Recent scientific explanations of religious beliefs: A systematic account,

What is it about?

The study on beliefs – both in a large sense and specifically religious – has under-gone an exponential development in the last years. The current research makes good use of cognitive and neuroscientific methods, allowing for a deeper insight into the structure of beliefs and believing as a complex process. Religious faith has received particular attention, giving place to many studies. For the betterment to access its variety and value, a systematic review on the published material is offered, which includes – to the date – 75 books and articles applying cognitive, evolutionary, and neurological approaches, and other new methods, trying to better characterize religious experience and beliefs. As a result a plural panorama emerges and some development can be followed toward more complex and inclusive theories. A case is made for the utility that this research can offer for the study of broadly understood beliefs; the same can be stated regarding the application of research on general beliefs for a better knowledge on religious ones.

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Why is it important?

Because it offers a synthesis of current research on religion