Talking Theology
The podcast of Cranmer Hall, the theological college within St John's College, Durham University. We explore life’s big questions, and look to join the dots between theology, church, and the world. Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall, is joined by a wide range of guests with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Talking Theology
Alasdair Coles - What Can We Learn About the Connection Between Belief and the Brain?
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Philip Plyming
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Season 3
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Episode 6
Is there a God spot in our brain? What does 2+2 have in common with belief in god? How is our brain designed to help up experience god? Why might religious experience not be all it’s cracked up to be? How does the plasticity of our brain give us hope?
Alasdair Coles is professor of neuroimmunology at the University of Cambridge, an honorary consultant neurologist to Addenbrooke’s and Hinchingbrooke Hospitals and also an ordained minister in the Church of England. While his main academic focus is into new treatments for multiple sclerosis, his academic research has also led him to investigate religiosity and spiritual experiences from the standpoint of neurology.