In Grand Theories and Everyday Beliefs, a distinguished philosopher offers a novel view of how humans became rational beings. Wallace Matson anchors his sweeping narrative to his core theme of "high" and "low" beliefs. As he defines them, low beliefs are tied to everyday matters and practical experience. High beliefs are abstract and theoretical, making sense of disparate things and promoting solidarity or fostering hope and courage. Matson's book...

Where do gods come from - and what is the cost of bearing them? In Practicing Safe Sects F. LeRon Shults argues for the importance of having "the talk" about the causes and consequences of participating in religious sects. To survive and thrive as a social species, we humans are likely to continue needing some kind of sects (as well as sex) for quite some time. But can we learn how to practice safe sects? Can we live together in healthy and productive...

"Scientists and 'anti-scientists' alike need a more realistic image of science. The traditional mode of research, academic science, is not just a 'method': it is a distinctive culture, whose members win esteem and employment by making public their findings. Fierce competition for credibility is strictly regulated by established practices such as peer review. Highly specialized international communities of independent experts form spontaneously and...

A much needed and clear investigation of why and how science has so powerfully shaped the way we understand ourselves, our behaviour towards others and our place in the world.