[Hac-announce] April 2017 Book Discussion: "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon" by Daniel Dennett

[kvngough at aol.com]

Our book for April is Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by philosopher, cognitive scientist, and "horseman" Daniel Dennett. The discussion will take place Saturday, April 15, 2017 at 2 pm in the library of the Unitarian Society of New Haven at 700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden. 






>From Amazon:
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.

“Penetrating…a sharp synthesis of a library of evolutionary, anthropological and psychological research on the origin and spread of religion. – Scientific American

“How would a visitor from Mars dispassionately explain human religion?...My guess is that the result would be something like this crystal-clear, constantly engaging, and enjoyable new book.” – Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse.



Refreshments will be served.

And please Save the Date - May 20 - for our next discussion when author and Yale Humanist Community member Tom Krattenmaker will join us to discuss his book Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower: Finding Answers in Jesus for Those Who Don't Believe.

 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: kvngough <kvngough at aol.com>
To: hac-announce <hac-announce at cthumanist.org>
Sent: Mon, Feb 20, 2017 4:55 pm
Subject: March 2017 Book Discussion: "The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World" by Andrea Wulf


















>From Amazon:
Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was the most famous scientist of his age, a visionary German naturalist and polymath whose discoveries forever changed the way we understand the natural world. Among his most revolutionary ideas was a radical conception of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone...In this illuminating biography, Andrea Wulf brings Humboldt’s extraordinary life back into focus: his prediction of human-induced climate change; his daring expeditions to the highest peaks of South America and to the anthrax-infected steppes of Siberia; his relationships with iconic figures, including Simón Bolívar and Thomas Jefferson; and the lasting influence of his writings on Darwin, Wordsworth, Goethe, Muir, Thoreau, and many others. Brilliantly researched and stunningly written, The Invention of Nature reveals the myriad ways in which Humboldt’s ideas form the foundation of modern environmentalism—and reminds us why they are as prescient and vital as ever.

 
A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Economist, Nature, Jezebel, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, New Scientist, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Evening Standard, & The Spectator. 

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