Westminster Philosophy Professor Presents Paper in Tokyo
Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2005
Dr. David Goldberg, assistant professor of philosophy at Westminster College, recently presented a paper at the International Association of the History of Religion (IAHR) in Tokyo, Japan.
His paper, "Neuroanatomy and the Religious Experience: Scientific Demystificati0n of Religion?" dealt with a recent trend in which neuro-anatomy is used to examine religious mystical experiences.
"In particular I was concerned with the methodology that is used by Andrew Newberg and Eugene D'Aquili expressed in their books, 'The Mystical Mind' and 'Why God Won't Go Away,'" Goldberg said. "In each they argue that there is a 'similarity in kind' between mystical experiences that can be substantiated with their neuro-anatomical model. My contention is that they blindly turn away from fundamental differences that surface within the hermeneutical dimension that must infect these experiences, and that within their own neuro-anatomical model we can find a ground for substantiating difference in kind between mystical experiences, in particular the ontogenetic plasticity of mind."
Goldberg, who has been with Westminster College since 2002, earned his undergraduate degree and master's from Pennsylvania State University, and his Ph.D. from Duquesne University.
Contact Goldberg at (724) 946-7153 or e-mail goldbedw@westminster.edu for more information.
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