Cognitive Science and Religion

Studying religious thought and practices in light of the rapid advances in cognitive science can
be extremely beneficial for both the religious and the scientific communities. The aim of this
course is to explore the foundational concepts of cognitive science in relation to the religious
perspectives, attitudes and practices. And more specifically, explore the ideas of consciousness,
yoga and meditation in relation to the evolving perspectives of cognitive science. Some of the
questions that would be explored include: a) What is the scope and limitations of cognitive
science in explaining spiritual and religious practices b) How are religious thought and practices
relate to the cognitive science understanding of mind and consciousness c) How both religion
and cognitive science can inform each other on some of the pertinent problems on wellbeing
and behaviour in science-religion dialogue

References:

Lawson, E. Thomas and Robert N. McCauley. Rethinking Religion: Connecting Cognition and
Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Varela, Francisco J., Evan Thompson, and Eleanor Rosch. The Embodied Mind: Cognitive
Science and Human Experience. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1993

Botterill, George and Peter Carruthers, The Philosophy of Psychology, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1999.

Wallace, B. Alan. Breaking New Ground: Essays on Buddhism and Modern Science.

Choosing Reality: A Buddhist View of Physics and the Mind. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion,
1996.

Outputs:

Paper 1 : Literature review on cognitive science of religion

Paper 2: Cognitive Science, Behavior and Hindu/ Buddhist texts

Paper 3: Cognitive Science and Yoga