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.



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

Instructors: Prof. Daniel M. Ogilvie
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There are 12 modules in this course
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1 video2 readings
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3 videos
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3 videos1 reading1 assignment
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1 video
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3 videos1 reading
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3 videos1 assignment1 peer review
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3 videos1 reading
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2 readings
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Reviewed on Jan 28, 2022
Explores soul beliefs objectively with scientific studies.
Reviewed on Mar 13, 2017
just as good as part 1. Neat old professor. A bit more abstract than 1.
Reviewed on Dec 22, 2016
Thoughtful, multi-disciplinary course.. Bravo for the effort.
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