Teaching Professor and Lecturer IV
About
Initially my research focused on the cognitive science of religion, in particular the ways in which scriptures are conceived, used, interpreted, and deployed socially. My work coincided with that of a number of other scholars, and contributed to putting the study of scripturalism on a more systematic theoretical and empirical foundation. My most important work here is my book, How the Bible works (Altamira, 2004).
More recently I have begun to look into the psychology of spiritual development. I am persuaded that spiritual development picks up around adolescence, at precisely the point where cognitive and social maturation cease to be as determinative as they had been up to that point. Much of spiritual development involves the education of the ego-system, especially one's self-understanding. Self-understanding mediates the way in which our identity is deployed, and thus our ability to adapt to changing circumstances. A mature human being is humble, adaptable, joyful, caring, benevolent, and confident. I'm interested in the factors that lead to such an outcome, or that prevent us from reaching it.
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