1. Conflict and the reasons why -- 2. The appeal to history -- 3. The appeal to value : art in China and the West -- 4. The appeal to value : ethics and human behaviour -- 5. The appeal to coherence -- 6. Sex and safety : a new crisis facing religions.

"Applying recent scientific work to perennial questions, The Sacred Neuron shows how significant the research has been for our understanding of such topics as ritual, the human understanding of God, and the fraught relationship between different religions and cultures. In the twenty-first century, when there are people who have made their beliefs a justification for acts of violence and terror, it is more important than ever to understand why they believe what they do, and how faith and belief can be rooted in reason."--BOOK JACKET.