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Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
by: Daniel C. Dennett

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 210
EAN: 9780143038337
ISBN: 0143038338
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 464
Publication Date: February 06, 2007
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Sales Rank: 6727
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)

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Product Description:
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.

Customer Reviews

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- "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 quarter-century, I know that when an argument comes across as vapid or padded, it ought to be checked several times to make sure a crucial subtlety hasn't been overlooked. But I've come to the conclusion that there's not much to Dennett's book. It has its moments, but they're tediously hard to find in a book that could've easily been cut by at least half.

Dennett, of course, is one of the gang of four--other members are Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens--dubbed by "Wired" magazine the "New Atheists." Their brand of atheism is characterized by a militant criticism of all religious beliefs, ... Read More

Rating:

- Interesting Book and Telling Reviews
Daniel Dennett in his book "Breaking the Spell" breaks with most of his atheist colleagues, leaving behind the "shock and awe" approach of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens, but tries to draw in both believers and non-believers for a tame, rational discussion about religion and other superstititions and how they evolved. Dennett, admits that he is speculating on several counts, and but seems to ask the question, "can we even have this discussion?"

The Title "Breaking the Spell" is intended as a proposal to break the taboo we have in our society about discussing religion rationally from a scientific perspective. Dennett proceeds, naively I think, to discuss various scientific explanations for religion and discusses their qualities and drawbacks.

Though the book is very thoughtful and full of many insights, I think most true-believers will treat the book as a sort of "trojan ... Read More

Rating:

- The Underlying Theme is Policy and Politics
This is the first book that I have read by Mr. Dennett and let me say at the outset that I am thankful that there are authors like him that are willing to take the time to "circle" a subject and view it from several different scientific, sociological and anthropological perspectives. This book is not a harsh criticism of religion but an attempt, as I understand it, to foster a dialogue in order to determine what policies, if any, should be carried out in the future to curb potential threats from religious fanatics. I for one do not wish to live under a theocracy; I do not want to be told what to think - so here is where I must voice my concern regarding Mr. Dennett's references to making "policy" decisions: someone other than the individual or family would be making the call - making a value judgment for them. What is harmful, what is good and what is bad with regards to religion would all be decided by others. Policies ... Read More

Rating:

- A great treat from Dennett
This is a superb book about religion from Dennett, who has attained a renown as a philosopher of mind and cognitive science. He brings the tools from those disciplines to the subject of religion; in particular, he makes use of the concept of the "intentional stance" that we naturally take towards objects, both animate and inanimate. Dennett's book is a part of the very recent trend to scrutinize religion by conceptual tools taken from cognitive psychology, anthropology and evolutionary biology -- as a natural phenomnon like any other. This is in keeping with an argument from Dennett's earlier book, DARWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA, to the effect that Darwin's idea of natural selection is a "universal acid". That is to say, the idea of natural selection is no narrow scientific concept, but a general scientific approach that is applicable "all the way up" as well as "all the way down". There is no area of research that could be immune ... Read More

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