Working on the God Problem and related issues will occupy me for the
rest of my career. It is my current passion and will remain so. My basic
concern is with the prospect of religious disputes being the spark that
ignites a nuclear war. There is an abundant amount of research literature
that supports the view that belief in God is beneficial for those that
believe. I have no intention of challenging that literature. At the same
time, several notable books have recently been published that argue the
case for religions being the ultimate source of our self-destruction. Given
the nonrational foundation of religions and the weight of scientific support
for Darwin's theory of evolution, why do so many people (80-90% of American
according to some polls) continue to believe that God created them and
proper conduct on their parts will lead to the everlasting life of the
soul?
My approach to this problem is derived from my understanding of the human brain and the evolution of senses of self in childhood. Click here for access to an unpublished paper I have composed on this topic based on my talk at APA. I will continue to elaborate on my position about why religions are so resistant to extinction as I continue to conduct forays into fields of cognitive psychology, cultural anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, religion, and other disciplines to become better educated, more articulate, and more scientifically grounded in my understanding of the serious dangers we face. I believe that we have no chance of alleviating the problem if we don't understand the depths of its psychological foundation.
My work on the God Problem has morphed into a project titled Soul Searching. Return to the Research Interests page and click Soul Searching for more information on this project.