Back to Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences - Unit 2: Belief Systems
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences - Unit 2: Belief Systems

Throughout history, the vast majority of people around the globe have believed they have, however defined, a “soul.” While the question of whether the soul exists cannot be answered by science, what we can study are the causes and consequences of various beliefs about the soul and its prospects of surviving the death of the body. Why are soul and afterlife beliefs so common in human history? Are there adaptive advantages to assuming souls exist? Are there brain structures that have been shaped by environmental pressures that provide the foundation of body/mind dualism that is such a prominent feature of many religions? How do these beliefs shape the worldviews of different cultures and our collective lives? What is the role of competing afterlife beliefs in religion, science, politics, and war? This course explores several facets of this relatively unexplored but profoundly important aspect of human thought and behavior. The course consists mainly of 70 to 80 minute lectures, typically broken up into 3 segments, recorded from a course offered by Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences. These videos include slides and some embedded video clips. Most lectures are accompanied by slides used during the lecture, also including recommended reading assignment which may provide additional opportunities to reflect on your studies. Due to the lengthiness of this class and natural progression, the online course has been separated into 3 units, this is Unit 2.

Status: Liberal Arts
Status: Human Development
Course18 hours

Featured reviews

MM

Reviewed Jun 21, 2016

An excellent presentation. Guest lecturers outstanding. Forces a person to really question beliefs rather than accepting at face value. Excellent points raised by learned professionals.

TK

Reviewed Nov 1, 2023

Highly enjoyable with a splendid team and multi-disciplinary approach. Warning, not a course for the.narrow-minded.

AH

Reviewed Dec 19, 2019

A unique course that combines science, religion, psychology, and history for the purpose of understanding human nature and the human mind. Thanks for the valuable course.

NS

Reviewed Mar 13, 2021

Thought provoking with lots of concrete scientific evidence to support the topic. Enjoyed the class and assigned readings very much.

BB

Reviewed Dec 22, 2016

Thoughtful, multi-disciplinary course.. Bravo for the effort.

JS

Reviewed Mar 13, 2017

just as good as part 1. Neat old professor. A bit more abstract than 1.

YK

Reviewed Mar 11, 2022

​it enable to see the issue from the other side of the coin ...something i am not able to do so due to the environment i am in ..this course put me into the other side of environmnt

KL

Reviewed Jan 28, 2022

Explores soul beliefs objectively with scientific studies.

JM

Reviewed Nov 8, 2015

The professorsoffer science and facts; the superstitious offer dogma.

GC

Reviewed Oct 22, 2015

Amazing class that really helps you to look your core beliefs and understand why and how your are the person that you are! Really good professors and materials~ 10000 worthily!

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