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.
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Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences - Unit 3: How Does It All End?
Rutgers the State University of New JerseyAbout this Course
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Coursera Labs
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English
Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?
Try Coursera for BusinessFlexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Coursera Labs
Includes hands on learning projects.
Learn more about Coursera Labs Approx. 13 hours to complete
English
Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?
Try Coursera for BusinessSyllabus - What you will learn from this course
1 hour to complete
Introduction to Unit 3
1 hour to complete
1 video (Total 20 min), 2 readings
2 hours to complete
Evolutionary Psychology
2 hours to complete
3 videos (Total 76 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
1 hour to complete
The Evolution of the Human Brain
1 hour to complete
3 videos (Total 70 min)
2 hours to complete
The Human Spark
2 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 95 min)
Reviews
- 5 stars68.88%
- 4 stars18.88%
- 3 stars7.77%
- 2 stars1.11%
- 1 star3.33%
TOP REVIEWS FROM SOUL BELIEFS: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - UNIT 3: HOW DOES IT ALL END?
by PMFeb 10, 2023
An Exceptionally well researched Course with dedicated & rational approach to controversial issues. Just Brilliant.
by APSep 12, 2015
Great, but with less new content than Units 1 and 2.
by JSJun 1, 2017
Culminates a 3 mooc series. They get increasingly abstract as they go on. This had some good info on science vs. religion.
by JCApr 5, 2018
Very interesting and engaging course. Loved the work that Professors Ogilvy and Hamilton did to put the 3 units together.
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