The Construction of the Supernatural in Euro-American Cultures

Benson Saler is a master at intellectual history. Be prepared for a stimulating journey guided by a first-rate scholar who knows where the gems are hidden. * E. Thomas Lawson, Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University, USA * Benson Saler, an influential anthropologist of religion, shows convincingly why we can neither take the meaning of supernatural for granted nor use it as a proxy for religion. Saler's account of the diverse meanings of 'supernatural' will have a lasting impact on numerous disciplines, especially anthropology, religious studies, and the cognitive science of religion. * Stewart E. Guthrie, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Fordham University, USA * Few scholars are as well-prepared as Benson Saler was to undertake the sweeping inquiries of The Construction of the Supernatural in Euro-American Cultures. Saler conveys his erudition with a light touch, ranging across a dozen disciplines to defend a science of religions rooted in cognitive and evolutionary approaches as the best-suited to manage perennial problems, including properly situating the supernatural. This book glistens with his wisdom and insights. * Robert N. McCauley, William Rand Kenan Jr. University Professor of Philosophy (Emeritus), Founding Director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture, Emory University, USA, and author of Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of Religion (Bloomsbury, 2017) *