Neurotheology: challenges and opportunities

Brandt P.-Y., Clément F., Re Manning R., 2010. Schweizer Archiv für Neurologie und Psychiatrie, 161 (8) pp. 305-309. 

During the last decades of the twentieth century scholars have proposed « neurotheology » as a new subdiscipline of the neurosciences. This article presents a review and discussion of different interpretations placed on neu- rotheology, and attempts to estimate the extent to which neuroscience is a challenge and/or an opportunity for theology and (for the study of) religion. On the neuroscientific side, neurotheology can be split into a reductionist and a religionist neuroscience of religion. On the theological side, it can be split into apologetic and integrative approaches. The appraisal of these differ- ent interpretations and of the relevance of neuroscience for the study of re- ligion is conducted from three points of view: philosophy and theology, cog- nitive science, psychology of religion and sciences of religions.

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