Throughout history, the vast majority of people around the globe have believed they have, however defined, a “soul.” While the question of whether the soul exists cannot be answered by science, what we can study are the causes and consequences of various beliefs about the soul and its prospects of surviving the death of the body. Why are soul and afterlife beliefs so common in human history? Are there adaptive advantages to assuming souls exist? Are there brain structures that have been shaped by environmental pressures that provide the foundation of body/mind dualism that is such a prominent feature of many religions? How do these beliefs shape the worldviews of different cultures and our collective lives? What is the role of competing afterlife beliefs in religion, science, politics, and war? This course explores several facets of this relatively unexplored but profoundly important aspect of human thought and behavior.
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Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences - Unit 1: Historical Foundations
Rutgers the State University of New JerseyAbout this Course
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Try Coursera for BusinessSyllabus - What you will learn from this course
Introduction to the Course
What I was Told to Believe
Historical Foundations of Soul Beliefs #1
Historical Foundations of Soul Beliefs #2
Reviews
- 5 stars71.64%
- 4 stars17.72%
- 3 stars4.30%
- 2 stars2.27%
- 1 star4.05%
TOP REVIEWS FROM SOUL BELIEFS: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - UNIT 1: HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS
Brilliant course, brilliant lecturers, brilliant topic, extremely well thought-out approach to such a mind-blowing topic. I highly recommend it to anyone with even the vaguest interest in the topic.
I enjoyed the course. It gave a good historical look at the foundations of religion. I'm looking forward to Unit 2.
Fascinating, informative, thought provoking, makes you think. What more could you ask for from a Course? The Professors are wonderful. I'm so glad I choose to take this Course.
Great course. Complete all three parts to have a grip over genesis and utility of religion.
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