Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith

This very concise book provides a great introduction to the evolutionary psychology of why the human brain seems so predisposed to a belief in the supernatural. While I would prefer footnotes to endnotes, that is simply a style preference. The material is well presented, and the endnotes do contain a large number of valuable references, some of which I will be adding to my reading list.

This book is written in an extremely readable, simple manner, which made me feel patronized rather than informed or convinced. The arguments are considerably streamlined, although the author provides some endnotes for those who wish to read further research. Although the effort in producing an approachable, non-inflammatory work is commendable, the brevity (144 pages) hinders rather than recommends this book.

While appearing to argue for a more scientific theory of religion, the author unfortunately makes a habit of waxing philosophical on long tangents based on only a vaguely related piece of empirical evidence. In some cases, the evidence is not even from a scientific study, but is merely a common stereotype. In other words, if you came to this text seeking empirical sources and well supported arguments, you might find a few in the endnotes, but the main text is mostly a long monologue of philosophical opinion, unfortunately not very different from any other religious philosopher.