Benson Saler - An Appreciation
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Social Scientists and the Supernatural
2. Nature and Transcendence among the Ancient Greeks
3. Some Theological Perspectives
4. Something Nice about Vampires
5. Dracula and Camilla: Monsters and the Mind
6. Towards a Realistic and Relevant...Science of Religion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Argues that understanding the intellectual history of the supernatural is a foundation of the scientific study of religion
Benson Saler was Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Brandeis University, USA
Benson Saler is a master at intellectual history. Be prepared for a
stimulating journey guided by a first-rate scholar who knows where
the gems are hidden.
*E. Thomas Lawson, Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University,
USA*
Benson Saler, an influential anthropologist of religion, shows
convincingly why we can neither take the meaning of “supernatural”
for granted nor use it as a proxy for religion. Saler's account of
the diverse meanings of ‘supernatural’ will have a lasting impact
on numerous disciplines, especially anthropology, religious
studies, and the cognitive science of religion.
*Stewart E. Guthrie, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Fordham
University, USA*
Few scholars are as well-prepared as Benson Saler was to undertake
the sweeping inquiries of The Construction of the Supernatural in
Euro-American Cultures. Saler conveys his erudition with a light
touch, ranging across a dozen disciplines to defend a science of
religions rooted in cognitive and evolutionary approaches as the
best-suited to manage perennial problems, including properly
situating the supernatural. This book glistens with his wisdom and
insights.
*Robert N. McCauley, William Rand Kenan Jr. University Professor of
Philosophy (Emeritus), Founding Director of the Center for Mind,
Brain, and Culture, Emory University, USA, and author of
Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of Religion
(Bloomsbury, 2017)*
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