With the American Scientific Affiliation meeting coming up this week, I've got connecting on the brain. And now after catching up with the science news, I'm also thinking about the connections in the fruit fly brain. It was announced last week that scientists have taken a series of images of a fruit fly brain with enough detail to see every neuron. Of even greater interest is the ability to see every connection between pairs of neurons. Studying how neurons are "wired up" can provide insight into where specific sensory … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Fruit Flies Like a Banana… And We’re Closer to Knowing Why
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Trouble in Mind: Attending to the Interplay of Mind and Body in Treating Depression
Psalm 139:13-14 (NASB): For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. Trouble in mind, I'm blue But I won't be blue always 'Cause I know the sun's gonna shine in my back door someday (composed by Richard M. Jones and first recorded in 1924) … [Read more...] about Trouble in Mind: Attending to the Interplay of Mind and Body in Treating Depression
Science Corner: What really happens when you get to 100%
If you've encountered any of the marketing for the film Lucy, you know it is premised on the old canard that humans only use 10% of their brains. Even if it were true, and it isn't, it doesn't automatically follow that accessing the other 90% would enable one to see wireless data signals as shiny columns of letters or consciously control the length and color of your hair. But the appeal is understanding. We all want to believe we possess untapped potential; it allows us to believe a better life is just around the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: What really happens when you get to 100%
Asking Jeeves
There is a pressing need for healthy dialogue regarding the psychology, and biology, of faith. Do humans have free will? What are the respective roles of the mind, the soul, and the brain? Are reports of supernatural experiences evidence for or against the existence of Heaven? Are we pre-conditioned to seek out a divine being? These are not questions from which Christians should not shy away. In fact, I'm convinced that by leaning into the discussion, our faith will be deepened and enriched. Dr. Malcolm Jeeves's … [Read more...] about Asking Jeeves
Can Science ‘Explain Away’ Religion?
In Chapter 18 of Minds, Brains, Souls and Gods: A Conversation on Faith, Psychology and Neuroscience (InterVarsity Press, 2013), Malcolm Jeeves[1] discusses the question “Can Science ‘Explain Away' Religion?” with his fictional psychology student "mentee". Have you wrestled with this question? How have you addressed it? Do you concur with what Jeeves offers? Can Science “Explain Away” Religion? Malcolm, Your emails have pointed out that the same evidence is often interpreted in very different ways. For example, … [Read more...] about Can Science ‘Explain Away’ Religion?