Inner Theatres of Good and Evil : The Mind's Staging of Gods, Angels and Devils

Pizzato, Mark

McFarland & Co Inc（2010/11発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 368 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780786442607
• DDC分類 153.3

Full Description

Among the most intriguing questions of neurology is how conceptions of good and evil arise in the human brain. In a world where we encounter god-like forces in nature, and try to transcend them, the development of a neural network dramatizing good against evil seems inevitable. This critical book explores the cosmic dimensions of the brain's inner theatre as revealed by neurology, cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, psychoanalysis, primatology and exemplary Western performances. In theatre, film, and television, supernatural figures express the brain's anatomical features as humans transform their natural environment into cosmic and theological spaces in order to grapple with their vulnerability in the world.

Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     

Introduction: The Brain's Evolving Theatre     

1. Neural and Prehistoric Signs of the Divine     

2. Ancient Animal and Human Deities     

3. One Medieval God—with His Angels and Devils     

4. From Renaissance Rebirths to Postmodern Experiments     

5. Cosmic Forces on the Movie Screen     

6. Millennium in the Home Theatre     

Conclusion: More Morality with Humans as Gods?     

Notes     

Bibliography     

Index