{"product_id":"the-transcendent-brain-spirituality-in-the-age-of-science-hardcover","title":"The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlan Lightman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eEinstein's Dreams \u003c\/i\u003ecomes a rich, fascinating answer to the question, Can the scientifically inclined still hold space for spirituality?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"Lightman...belongs to a noble tradition of science writers, including Oliver Sacks and Lewis Thomas, who can poke endlessly into a subject and...stir up fresh embers of wonder.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGazing at the stars, falling in love, or listening to music, we sometimes feel a transcendent connection with a cosmic unity and things larger than ourselves. But these experiences are not easily understood by science, which holds that all things can be explained in terms of atoms and molecules. Is there space in our scientific worldview for these spiritual experiences? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAccording to acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, there may be. Drawing on intellectual history and conversations with contemporary scientists, philosophers, and psychologists, Lightman asks a series of thought-provoking questions that illuminate our strange place between the world of particles and forces and the world of complex human experience. Can strict materialism explain our appreciation of beauty? Or our feelings of connection to nature and to other people? Is there a physical basis for consciousness, the most slippery of all scientific problems? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLightman weaves these investigations together to propose what he calls \"spiritual materialism\"-- the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview. In his view, the breadth of the human condition is not only rooted in material atoms and molecules but can also be explained in terms of Darwinian evolution. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat is revealed in this lyrical, enlightening book is that spirituality may not only be compatible with science, it also ought to remain at the core of what it means to be human.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eALAN LIGHTMAN\u003c\/b\u003e, PhD physicist, is the author of seven novels, including the international best seller \u003ci\u003eEinstein's Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Diagnosis\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for the National Book Award. His nonfiction includes \u003ci\u003eThe Accidental Universe\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eProbable Impossibilities\u003c\/i\u003e, and other books. He has taught at Harvard and at MIT, where he was the first person to receive a dual faculty appointment in science and the humanities. He is the host of the public television series \u003ci\u003eSearching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science\u003c\/i\u003e. He is a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 208\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.02 x 7.56 x 5.12 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 14, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42170298073223,"sku":"9780593317419","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/f06ab93aaf6979c91af7adca1438bd88.webp?v=1733347225","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/the-transcendent-brain-spirituality-in-the-age-of-science-hardcover","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}