Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #233273 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University
`A courageous book by a serious scientist...I learnt much from his insights.'

Dr Arthur Peacocke
‘…a sure-footed and clarifying guide.’

Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University
‘A courageous book by a serious scientist...I learnt much from his insights.’

Customer Reviews

Human spirituality and biology
The biology of spirituality--is such a subject possible? David Hay is uniquely qualified to speak on human spirituality from a biological perspective. Having served as the director of the Religious Experience Research Unit at Oxford, he is well acquainted with the classic studies of spirituality conducted by zooligist Alister Hardy, founder of the research unit. In this book Hay surveys several key classic studies in the study of religion and spirituality, providing depth of coverage rarely seen in books of this nature. Hay also summarizes his own research work, which can be characterized by both having breadth and variety. As a complement to both the classic studies and his own work, Hay summarizes some of the best research conducted in recent years related to the spiritual experiences of humanity--including a variety of religions and, perhaps just as important, the spiritual experiences of non-religious people. The latter are important because as the influence of religion has significantly declined in much of the world, the interest in spirituality simultaneously has mushroomed. His conclusions point to not only a biological basis for spiritual experience, but also that spirituality is an important part of what makes us human, as the many first-hand accounts clearly underscore (although the possibility is admitted that some higher animals may have similar experiences). This book is poetry and science, historical and contemporary, subjective and objective, thoroughly human yet pointing beyond to the Other. A major addition to the literature on spirituality, it draws widely upon many sources--and perhaps The Source--to make a distinctive contribution to that literature.

Something There
This book is a timely addition to David Hay's already formidable reputation as a writer in spirituality. It combines his scientific insights with his poetic and theological interpretations, never proving to be rash and always referring to wider sources.
Hay writes with the confidence of familiarity with a range of material. As a researcher into children's spirituality over the past fifteen years, I was not disapointed in this book and checked up on new insights on ancient psychological enquiries (Starbuck and Leuba), previous philosophy (Stirner)and recent research from the human genome study (Onofrio and Bouchard). I strongly recommend this publication and will be purchasing it for the Higher Education College (St John's Nottingham) at which I teach.

Rev Dr Howard Worsley

Donald on Hay
A thoughtful book summarising David Hay's reflections on his (and others') discoveries about the prevalence of spirituality among all sorts of people, many of whom are disconnected from the religions. Most readable and rewarding.