Tremlin Todd. Minds and Gods. The Cognitive Foundations of Religion

Oxford University Press, 2006. — 243 p. — ISBN-13 978-0-19-530534-0Thankfully there is no need to use this preface—as is so often the case—as an apology for yet another book on a given topic. The field today being called the “cognitive science of religion” is indeed yielding a number of scholarly monographs and collections, but the f i eld is too young and too expansive to have yet been adequately represented or summarized. If anything, there is an under abundance of available reports for people wishing to become familiar with this fruitful new approach to human religiosity. Furthermore, the best and most revealing work currently informing the f i eld is found in the form of experiment summaries, conference papers, and journal articles—a rich yet disparate body of material seldom seen by any but the most committed professionals.
These f i rst words, then, invite students and scientif i cally literate readers to encounter the cognitive science of religion at a level that is, hopefully, both clear and engaging. This book is meant as an introduction to some of the f i eld’s major themes, theories, and thinkers as well as fresh analyses suggested by ongoing research. No doubt those already well versed in the cognitive science of religion or its many tributaries will f i nd much here to criticize (coverage that is too brief, analogies that are too rough, generalizations that are too broad), but the discussion purposely aims at outline and im-plication rather than erudition and novelty. The story told here is about everyone, so it ought to be easily followed by anyone. Like-wise, it ought to provoke not only interest but also introspection.