The Neurocognitive Foundations of Prayer: A Critical Analysis

• Authors: Justyna Herda

Title variants

PL

Krytyczna analiza neurokognitywnych podstaw modlitwy

Abstracts

PL

W ostatnich dziesięcioleciach nastąpił znaczny wzrost zainteresowania badaczy eksperymentalnych zagadnieniami, które tradycyjnie należały do kręgu zainteresowań filozofii umysłu, filozofii poznania, a nawet teologii duchowości. Dostępność nowych metod badawczych, a także wzrost wiedzy o świecie otworzyły kolejne drzwi do rzeczywistości, w której żyjemy. Badając funkcjonowanie ludzkiego mózgu w specyficznych warunkach laboratoryjnych, naukowcy szukają odpowiedzi na nurtujące nas od wieków pytania: czym jest świadomość, jak rozpoznajemy intencje i czym są doświadczenia duchowe? Artykuł podejmuje temat modlitwy jako specyficznego doświadczenia religijnego w kontekście badań neurokognitywistycznych. W XX i XXI wieku częstotliwość takich badań znacznie wzrosła; na przykład poprzez eksperymenty Niny Azari, Mario Beauregarda i Andrew B. Newberga. Omówiono wybrane eksperymenty z zakresu neuronauki duchowości i ich wyniki. W tekście postawiono ważne pytania filozoficzne o to, jak definiujemy modlitwę i inne doświadczenia duchowe w kontekście powyższych badań, o interdyscyplinarność badań, a także o pojawiające się problemy i implikacje, np. ryzyko sprowadzenia tych zjawisk do ich podłoża biologicznego. Poruszono także tematykę kognitywistycznego wyjaśnienia doświadczeń i praktyk religijnych.

EN

In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the interest taken by experimental researchers in issues that have traditionally belonged to the sphere of interest of the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of cognition, and even the theology of spirituality. The availability of new research methods, as well as the increase in the knowledge of the world, has opened another door to the reality in which we live. By studying the functioning of the human brain in specific laboratory conditions, scientists are looking for the answers to questions that have been troubling us for centuries: what consciousness is, how do we recognize intentions, and what are spiritual experiences? This article deals with the topic of prayer as a specific religious experience in the context of neurocognitive research. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the frequency of such studies has increased significantly; for example, through the experiments of Nina Azari, Mario Beauregard, and Andrew B. Newberg. Selected experiments in the field of the neuroscience of spirituality and their results are discussed. Important philosophical questions about how we define prayer and other spiritual experiences in the context of the above research, the interdisciplinary nature of the research, as well as emerging problems and implications, e.g., the risk of reducing these phenomena to their biological base, the explanations of religious practices and experiences in cognitive science of religion have also been raised.

Keywords

PL

modlitwa; doświadczenia duchowe; religia; neurobiologia; neurokognitywistyka; mózg; metody neuroobrazowania; korelacje neuronalne

EN

prayer; spiritual experiences; neurobiology; neurocognitive science; brain; neuroimaging methods; neuronal correlates

• Publisher: Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II. Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL
• Journal: Roczniki Filozoficzne
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 71
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 25-42

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Justyna Herda

• Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II

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Identifiers

DOI

10.18290/rf23714.2

Biblioteka Nauki

31233181