Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why?and how?it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion?s evolution from "wild" folk belief to "domesticated" dogma. Not an antireligious screed but an unblinking look beneath the veil of orthodoxy, Breaking the Spell will be read and debated by believers and skeptics alike. more

Price Range:$9.01 to $12.24 | 3 stores
Product Rating:

100 Reviews
Info:
Set Price Alert Save to Wish List

Write a product review

ProductReviews

1-10 out of 100

From: Amazon
Posted: Sep-14-2009

A Good Read

I enjoyed this book. It's more philosophical than scientific. I usually prefer the more scientific approach but nevertheless a good read. Daniel C. Dennett makes a good case that believers have their place in our current society, even though they're under a spell of religion that might drive...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-15-2009

Not his best work, not by a mile

Dennett has moved from astounding philosophy of science to antagonism for those who disagree that the reflective person must dismiss religion as a belief system.The pretense, and first chapters of the book pull you in immediately, typical of Dennett. But half-way through the book it turns south,...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jul-29-2009

Not much of substance

For those interested in debunking the claims of believers, "Breaking the Spell" may hold some interest. But the ideas Daniel Dennett presents here are hardly original, and his lack of expertise on the topic is obvious. I was astonished at how little research he appears to have done, as well as...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jul-09-2009

Excellent, thoughtful book

I have read Breaking the Spell, The God Delusion, god is not Great, and The End of Faith. This is by far the most thoughtful and insightful book of the bunch. It makes a real effort to understand why we as human beings cling to religion in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence. Other...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jul-06-2009

No science here

I have a Ph.D. in Physics so I may recognize science when I see it. I saw no science in this tome. If you're not going to do science then maybe heed the words of Augustine.55. But by this is it more clearly discerned, when pleasure and when curiosity is pursued by the senses; for pleasure follows...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jun-24-2009

Simply Great

Breaking the Spell is an excellent book. Contrary to a lot of other books like End of Faith and The God Delusion, Breaking the Spell is not an aggressive book. As a philosopher, Dennet simply asks the questions that everyone is afraid to asks, and explores them from different points of view. It...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jun-21-2009

Religion under the spotlight of reason, and that's as it should be!

Philosopher Daniel Dennett has undertaken to treat the phenomenon of religion as a subject of close scientific scrutiny. The big question would have to be: Is it worth it? As a comparatively truculent atheist myself, I might well have been quick to say no, since quite frankly I think of...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: May-17-2009

Breaking the spell-- of naturalism

Dennett writes that . . . [many readers] will see me as just another liberal professor trying to cajole them out of some of their convictions [the religious ones], and they are dead right about that-- that's what I am and that's exactly what I'm trying to do" (p. 53) He might as well admit it;...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jan-16-2009

The Science of Religion

Ever wondered why we are drawn to religion? What could be the evolutionary benefits of religion? Or perhaps if religion is simply a parasite that has decided to hitch on to us for the ride? Breaking the Spell looks into this and much more in this fascinating book that scrutinizes not only...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

From: Amazon
Posted: Jan-08-2009

"A man ought to know his limitations..." *

I first read Dennett's Breaking the Spell two years ago, when it first appeared. Since then, I've re-read the whole thing once more, and bits of it several times. I did so under the suspicion that I must've missed something. As a professional philosopher who's taught at the college level for a...

Read full review | Report as inappropriate

Write a product review

1 2 3 4 5 Next