Tuesday, April 22, 2014

IRB #4 Introduction Post

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
By Mary Roach 

Spook is all about the scientific evidence that both supports and debunks ideas on the "afterlife". It focuses on finding factual explanations for the beliefs of many cultures and religions, using the studies of certified scientists, historians, and other experts on the subject. The author, Mary Roach, wrote the book because she was curious about what happens after people die, and decided to collect information both for against the argument that some sort of afterlife exists. The book is supposed to be informative, cultural, and funny. 

I chose this book because science has never been one of my favorite topics, and I was trying to branch out from what I normal read/have read for my other IRBs, subject-wise. So far, I've read a book on Native American history, a memoir about food (cheese), and a psychological, somewhat "self-help" book by Malcolm Gladwell. Reading something comparing religion and science seemed a good choice and more challenging topic since, at least to me, it enters official "non-fiction territory". Also, religion is very important to me on a day-to-day basis. I'm an active member at my church, so I've considered a lot of the questions the author appears to think about and argue about. I'm hoping that this book rounds out the information I've learned from reading IRBs this year and is as good as its reviews. 


No comments:

Post a Comment