The debate about whether, and in what sense, there is ‘spiritual intelligence’ remains unresolved. We suggest it will be helpful to make a distinction between strong and weak versions of the claim. The strong version proposes that there is a separate and distinct spiritual intelligence that meets the criteria set out by Howard Gardner in his ‘multiple intelligences’ framework. This involves...
This chapter considers what is meant by consciousness, distinguishing the various things that are meant by the term and looking at changing assumptions about the relationship between mind and brain. It examines the critique of religion mounted by Francis Crick on the basis of the scientific study of consciousness. The chapter concerns the theological insight that God can be understood in some...
The relationships between psychology, religion and the transpersonal are difficult to clarify because of confusion and uncertainty about the key terms. ‘Religion’ is so diverse that there is no single essence of religion that is found in all its manifestations. The ‘transpersonal’ is also hard to define, one of the issues being that it is often defined largely in what it goes ‘beyond’ rather...
It is argued that there are good scientific grounds for accepting that cognition functions in a way that reflects embodiment. This represents a more holistic, systemic way of thinking about human beings, and contributes to the coordination of scientific assumptions about mind and body with those of the faith traditions, moving us beyond sterile debates about reductionism. It has been claimed by...