عنوان

New Questions for Neuroscientific Inquiry:

Number

LA108938

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

New Questions for Neuroscientific Inquiry:

General Material Designation

[Article]

Other Title Information

Commentary on "Spirituality: The Legacy of Parapsychology"

First Statement of Responsibility

Nina Azari

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

This paper inspires new questions, possibilities, and challenges for the scientific study of spirituality, and other experiential phenomena. First, the authors offer a refreshing conceptualization of spirituality, one that is similar to that proposed for, and supported by recent neuroscientific study of, religious experience. To what extent are spirituality and religious experience similar at the neural descriptive level? How might they be different? Second, the authors draw creatively upon Weak Quantum Theory to suggest a potentially useful and powerful theoretical model-generalized entanglement-to account for/describe spirituality, parapsychology, and possibly other experiential phenomena. This framework has potential not only to legitimize the study of such phenomena within 'mainstream science' (without compromising valuable holistic understandings), but also guide new scientific inquiry on spirituality and other experiential phenomena. To what extent, though, must 'scientific' paradigms and assumptions be re-imagined to pursue such studies? Ultimately, this paper raises challenging questions regarding the identity of 'science' today, the answers to which (or, at least, serious reflection upon) are needed to forward meaningful inquiry of spirituality (or any other topic). What is the 'job' (and, thus, interpretive limits) of 'science' today (e.g., explanation, description, proving 'reality-existence' of 'objects' of study)? Do all 'sciences' hold the same set of assumptions/have the same interpretive limits? To what extent is 'mainstream science' monolithic? This paper inspires new questions, possibilities, and challenges for the scientific study of spirituality, and other experiential phenomena. First, the authors offer a refreshing conceptualization of spirituality, one that is similar to that proposed for, and supported by recent neuroscientific study of, religious experience. To what extent are spirituality and religious experience similar at the neural descriptive level? How might they be different? Second, the authors draw creatively upon Weak Quantum Theory to suggest a potentially useful and powerful theoretical model-generalized entanglement-to account for/describe spirituality, parapsychology, and possibly other experiential phenomena. This framework has potential not only to legitimize the study of such phenomena within 'mainstream science' (without compromising valuable holistic understandings), but also guide new scientific inquiry on spirituality and other experiential phenomena. To what extent, though, must 'scientific' paradigms and assumptions be re-imagined to pursue such studies? Ultimately, this paper raises challenging questions regarding the identity of 'science' today, the answers to which (or, at least, serious reflection upon) are needed to forward meaningful inquiry of spirituality (or any other topic). What is the 'job' (and, thus, interpretive limits) of 'science' today (e.g., explanation, description, proving 'reality-existence' of 'objects' of study)? Do all 'sciences' hold the same set of assumptions/have the same interpretive limits? To what extent is 'mainstream science' monolithic?

Date of Publication

2009

Physical description

309-314

Title

Archive for the Psychology of Religion

Volume Number

31/3

International Standard Serial Number

1573-6121

Subject Term

NEUROIMAGING

Subject Term

PARAPSYCHOLOGY

Subject Term

QUANTUM THEORY

Subject Term

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

Subject Term

SCIENCE

Subject Term

SPIRITUALITY

Nina Azari

Call Number

10.1163/008467209X12499946199443

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y