Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of the Invisible World

by Clay Routledge

Overview

Humans are existential animals. We are all fully aware of our fragility, transience, and potential cosmic insignificance. Our ability to ponder the big questions about death and meaning and the anxiety that these questions can provoke have motivated us to be a species not only concerned about survival, but also about our significance.

The quest for transcendent meaning is one reason why humans embrace the supernatural. Children naturally see the world as magical, yet when humans reach full cognitive development they are still drawn to supernatural beliefs and ideas that defy the laws of physics. Even those who consider themselves secular or atheists are seduced by supernatural belief systems. Clay Routledge, an experimental psychologist, asserts that belief or trust in forces beyond our understanding is rooted in our fear of death and need for meaning. In Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of the Invisible World, he reveals just how universal supernatural thinking is, and how this kind of thinking is adaptive and even healthy.

Routledge takes readers through a wide range of fascinating research from psychology that paints a picture of humans as innate supernatural thinkers. Exploring research from the emerging field of experimental existential psychology, he makes the case that all humans have the same underlying existential needs, with similar coping strategies across times, cultures, and degrees of religiousness. Surprisingly, cultural institutions such as sports, environmentalism, secular humanism, and science also showcase supernatural attributes and qualities. Indeed, studies show that supernatural thinking assuages stress and anxiety and improves mood and psychological well-being. But there is a potential dark side to this line of thinking: it can lead to personal and social problems, and some individuals can take it a step too far. However, Routledge argues that this dark side of supernatural thinking is the exception, not the rule. Further, supernatural thinking is ever-present, and should unite us instead of dividing us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190629427
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/02/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Clay Routledge is a professor and psychological scientist at North Dakota State University who studies human motivation. Much of his work focuses on how people grapple with existential questions and fear about death and meaning. He regularly publishes his work in academic journals and writes for the public on a range of topics related to psychology, academia, and broader social issues.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Death and the Supernatural
Chapter 2: The Supernatural World is a Meaningful World
Chapter 3: Religion: The Most Powerful Form of Supernatural Belief
Chapter 4: The Secret Supernatural Lives of Atheists
Chapter 5: The Secular Supernatural
Chapter 6: The Many Benefits of Supernatural Beliefs
Chapter 7: The Dark Side of Supernatural Beliefs
Chapter 8: Toward a Common Humanity

Editorial Reviews

04/09/2018
Routledge (Nostalgia), professor of psychology at North Dakota State University, shares his thinking on “death, meaning, and the power of the invisible” in this informative but cursory book. Routledge explores the reasons humans of all ages aim to find meaning in life, fall back into patterns of teleological thinking, and return to beliefs in the supernatural despite evidence (and even stated beliefs) to the contrary. Essentially, the question Routledge considers is the age-old question of why humans believe things that don’t really make sense or are not supported by evidence—be that a tripartite God or Area 51. There is little original research presented here; instead, Routledge repurposes his own past work and the work of other social psychologists. He ends with a lengthy and not very original discussion of the divides and debates among religion, science, and atheism, and an uninspired call to “engage with those of different views than yours.” Routlege’s brand of pop psychology is an amusing one, though this work feels more like a collection of op-ed pieces or blog posts than a cohesive piece of reasoning. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Supernatural is a book of apparent contradictions, insightfully reconciled. In this clear and compelling book, Clay Routledge shows us how science can help us to understand religion, how supernatural beliefs come naturally to us, and how our lives are shaped by our deaths."

— Jonathan Jong, Ph.D., Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Brain, Belief, and Behavior Group, Centre for Advances in Behavioural Sciences, Coventry University

"This book makes a compelling case that supernatural interests and beliefs are a natural and, for the most part, healthy part of human life, and that even those who do not consider themselves believers are often drawn to the supernatural in their efforts to find meaning in life."

— Harold G. Koenig, M.D., Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University

From the Publisher