Scientific American
reviews Daniel Dennett's new book,
Breaking the Spell, which is an attempt to explain how religion arose historically and sociologically. This is a pretty hot topic lately, with David Sloan Wilson (
Darwin's Cathedral), Paul Bloom (
Descartes' Baby), and
Jesse Bering all having something to contribute. The SciAm reviewer says about religion
One of the most powerful fixations, and one that may have Dennett flummoxed, is that it is sacrilegious to question your own beliefs and an insult for anyone else to try.
No religious person I know thinks this; questioning your own beliefs is honest and allowing others to do so is stimulating.
