Something There: The Biology of the Human Spirit

Hay is an academic cousin to Richard Dawkins—they both studied with zoologist and sociological observer of religion Alister Hardy. But at a time when the quasi-scientific atheist screed is increasingly popular, Hay's work tends in the other direction. Statistics prove that religious observance is down, but surprisingly, Hay can marshal other figures to show that spiritual experience is on the upswing. And this is all to the good for Hay, who feels that although the religious skepticism birthed in the Enlightenment had undoubted benefits (like modern science), it has also caused great harm. This is an ambitious book, covering biology, zoology, history of religions, philosophy, theology, politics and social science. Not many books quote both scientific journals and original sociological field research between the same covers. Specialists in these areas may feel shortchanged, but even they will learn something: Hay's interviews with avowedly nonreligious persons in Nottingham often yield heartrendingly beautiful stories about how wretched the church can be, but how interesting the life of the spirit is. The only problem is that church folks already know this. Readers from Dawkins's branch of the Hardy academic tree will likely see this as more evidence of how much religious "delusion" remains to be overcome. (May)