How Long to Read How Religion Evolved

How Long Does it Take to Read How Religion Evolved?

It takes the average reader 3 hours and 57 minutes to read How Religion Evolved by Brian J. McVeigh

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Why did many religious leaders—Moses, Old Testament prophets, Zoroaster—claim they heard divine voices? Why do ancient civilizations exhibit key similarities, e.g., the “living dead” (treating the dead as if they were still alive); “speaking idols” (care and feeding of effigies); monumental mortuary architecture and “houses of gods” (pyramids, ziggurats, temples)? How do we explain strange behavior such as spirit possession, speaking in tongues, channeling, hypnosis, and schizophrenic hallucinations? Are these lingering vestiges of an older mentality? Brian J. McVeigh answers these riddles by updating “bicameralism.” First proposed by the psychologist Julian Jaynes, this theory postulates that an earlier mentality existed: a “human” (the brain’s left hemisphere) heard voices of “gods” or “ancestors” (the brain’s right hemisphere). Therefore, ancient religious texts reporting divine voices were recountings of audiovisual hallucinations—a method of social control when early populations expanded. As growing political economic complexity destabilized god-governed states in the late second millennium BCE, divine voices became inadequate. Eventually, humans had to culturally acquire new cognitive skills (modern religions) to accommodate increasing social pressures: selves replaced the gods and history witnessed an “inward turn.” This psychological interiorization of spiritual experience laid the foundations for the world’s great religions and philosophies that arose in India, China, Greece, and the Middle East in the middle of the first millennium BCE.

How long is How Religion Evolved?

How Religion Evolved by Brian J. McVeigh is 234 pages long, and a total of 59,436 words.

This makes it 79% the length of the average book. It also has 73% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read How Religion Evolved Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 5 hours and 24 minutes to read How Religion Evolved aloud.

What Reading Level is How Religion Evolved?

How Religion Evolved is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy How Religion Evolved?

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