Description
Book SynopsisA look at the science behind temptation - and how to overcome it.''Entertaining and enlightening ... offers ways to temper our anti-social tendencies.'' Dr Michael Mosley, science journalist and TV presenterIt can often seem that we are utterly surrounded by temptation, from the ease of online shopping and the stream of targeted advertising encouraging us to greedily acquire yet more stuff, to the coffee, cake and fast-food shops that line our streets, beckoning us in to over-indulge in all the wrong things. It can feel like a constant battle to stay away from the temptations we know we shouldn't give in to. Where exactly do these urges come from? If we know we shouldn't do something, for the sake of our health, our pockets or our reputation, why is it often so very hard to do the right thing? Anyone who has ever wondered why they never seem to be able to stick to their diet, anyone to whom the world seems more vain and self-obsessed than ever, anyone who can''t un
Trade ReviewRaises some
interesting questions about the brain's role in bad behaviour. * Sunday Times Culture *
Offers
entertaining and enlightening insights into the neurobiology behind some of our favourite sins. It combines fascinating contemporary and historical stories with cutting edge science and offers ways to temper our anti-social tendencies. -- Dr Michael Mosley, science journalist and TV presenter
This book is a rollercoaster ride through the brain in search of what actually causes the dark side of human nature. It
brings together science, religion and philosophy in a way that casts light on everyone’s battle with temptation. -- Johnny Ball, TV personality and author of Wonders Beyond Numbers
Writing with breadth, clarity and wisdom, Jack Lewis takes us through the religious antecedents. Each ‘sin’ is treated in the same careful and systematic way; highlighting their glory and their devastating consequences, their origins and what it means to commit them – or not. The way that difficult issues are underwritten by deeply informed neuroscience lends the book a reassuring authority. * Karl Friston FRS, Professor of Neuroscience, University College London, UK *
The neurological circuits responsible [for our sins] are named and shamed. * Strong Words Magazine *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: In the Beginning Chapter 2: Pride Chapter 3: Gluttony Chapter 4: Lust Chapter 5: Sloth Chapter 6: Greed Chapter 7: Envy Chapter 8: Wrath Chapter 9: Save Our Souls Chapter 10: Beyond Temptation Appendix 1:
Desiderata by Max Ehrman Appendix 2: Online Resources Glossary Select References Acknowledgements Index
