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Soul Beliefs

Throughout history, the vast majority of people around the globe have believed they have, however defined, a “soul.” While the question of whether the soul exists cannot be answered by science, what we can study are the causes and consequences of various beliefs about the soul and its prospects of surviving the death of the body. Why are soul and afterlife beliefs so common in human history? Are there adaptive advantages to assuming souls exist? Are there brain structures that have been shaped by environmental pressures that provide the foundation of body/mind dualism that is such a prominent feature of many religions? How do these beliefs shape the worldviews of different cultures and our collective lives? What is the role of competing afterlife beliefs in religion, science, politics, and war? This course explores several facets of this relatively unexplored but profoundly important aspect of human thought and behavior. The course consists mainly of 70 to 80 minute lectures, typically broken up into 3 segments, recorded from a course offered by Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences. These videos include slides and some embedded video clips. Most lectures are accompanied by slides used during the lecture, also including recommended reading assignment which may provide additional opportunities to reflect on your studies. Due to the lengthiness of this class and natural progression, the online course has been separated into 3 units, this is Unit 1.

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Rating 4.1★ based on 109 ratings
Length 12 weeks
Effort 15 hours of videos, quizzes and peer review
Starts Jul 10 (45 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From Rutgers the State University of New Jersey via Coursera
Instructors Prof. Daniel M. Ogilvie, Prof. Leonard W. Hamilton
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Social Sciences
Tags Social Sciences Governance And Society

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What people are saying

very interesting

very interesting.

Very interesting.

Very interesting and rare class!

I think it is a very interesting course.

I found the material (both lectures and reading references) very interesting and it connected to daily life and many conversations I find myself referencing things that are discussed here.

A very interesting course.

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soul beliefs

I found it really amazing... i wish i could have been present in the classroom :) The course offers a very interesting insight into soul beliefs and combines history, psychology and philosophy.

The false comparison between religion and soul beliefs cloud the validity of the course.

Very good, thanks Thank you for the opportunity to have a better life through many understandings found in the Rutgers State University course Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences.

The information was refreshing, enlightening and cut to the quick on many questions I had about soul beliefs.

My first choice and completed course here, two additional courses on soul beliefs follow and I will certainly be doing those as well.

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thought provoking

a thought provoking course .. the prof. has an amusing personality which makes it easy to go through the lecture Very Informative and logical.

Wonderful course, very interesting and thought provoking.

Fascinating, informative, thought provoking, makes you think.

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belief systems

This course breaks all the taboos with academics discussing the history of how humans developed their belief systems, how religions and societies engineer how humans define themselves and how humans view themselves and their concepts of their soul beliefs... My favorite course of all time... Really liked the funny, old professor who gives most of the lectures.

I love this course, however, I really wish it would have covered other types of belief systems as well, such as the native american beliefs, ancient celtic, or ancient norse belief systems, which have some similarities to the old middle eastern religions, but also a lot of differences.

not bad but not excellent If you are fascinated by different belief systems this course is for you.

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very good

Great course, also very good example for interdisciplinary communication to solve some of the riddleswe call existence/life Awes This is a truly unique course, covering an essential but largely neglected part of human nature and history.

The professors were very good at explaining complex material and it served to tie together some loose ends regarding various religions that I had been struggling with.

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looking forward

I'm looking forward to Unit 2.

Reviewing others' work was fascinating too, as it made me consider things from different points of view (though I do think the reviewing criteria would've benefitted from being just a little bit more detailed, to better reflect the huge variation in standard between submissions).I'm very much looking forward to the next module!

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daniel ogilvie

Thanks so much Corrsera, Ruthers, Professors Daniel Ogilvie and Leonard Hamilton, and all the great guest speakers for such an outstanding course.

Loved Prof. Daniel Ogilvie lectures not impresseed A life changing course.

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how humans

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An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile.

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Lecturer of History $50k

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Assistant Interim Chair, History Department $83k

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Interim Chair, History Department $114k

Professor of History and Political Science $160k

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Rating 4.1★ based on 109 ratings
Length 12 weeks
Effort 15 hours of videos, quizzes and peer review
Starts Jul 10 (45 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From Rutgers the State University of New Jersey via Coursera
Instructors Prof. Daniel M. Ogilvie, Prof. Leonard W. Hamilton
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Social Sciences
Tags Social Sciences Governance And Society

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