-
Cult Conversion: Is It Freewill or Brainwashing?
- When It Comes to Cults, the Debate Quickly Jumps to Whether Members of a Cult Are Brainwashed into Joining It or If They Have the Ability to Choose
- Narrated by: Paul Carwile
- Length: 9 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Cult Conversion: Is It Freewill or Brainwashing?
Buy for $3.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
A Manual for Creating Atheists
- By: Peter Boghossian
- Narrated by: Peter Boghossian
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 933
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 830
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 822
For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith - and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, this audiobook offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith - but for talking them out of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The first atheist missionary
- By Paul on 03-18-14
By: Peter Boghossian
-
The Moral Landscape
- How Science Can Determine Human Values
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,436
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,611
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,553
In this explosive new book, Sam Harris tears down the wall between scientific facts and human values, arguing that most people are simply mistaken about the relationship between morality and the rest of human knowledge. Harris urges us to think about morality in terms of human and animal well-being, viewing the experiences of conscious creatures as peaks and valleys on a "moral landscape".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Read it
- By Paul on 11-23-10
By: Sam Harris
-
The Myth of Race
- The Troubling Persistence of an Unscientific Idea
- By: Robert Wald Sussman
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 200
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 163
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 162
Although eugenics is now widely discredited, some groups and individuals claim a new scientific basis for old racist assumptions. Pondering the continuing influence of racist research and thought, despite all evidence to the contrary, Robert Wald Sussman explains why - when it comes to race - too many people still mistake bigotry for science.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An important look at race, genetics, & politics
- By Elisabeth Carey on 03-29-18
-
The Fatal Conceit
- The Errors of Socialism
- By: F. A. Hayek
- Narrated by: Everett Sherman
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 487
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 421
Hayek gives the main arguments for the free-market case and presents his manifesto on the "errors of socialism." Hayek argues that socialism has, from its origins, been mistaken on factual, and even on logical, grounds and that its repeated failures in the many different practical applications of socialist ideas that this century has witnessed were the direct outcome of these errors. He labels as the "fatal conceit" the idea that "man is able to shape the world around him according to his wishes."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
If more had these insights we'd be better off
- By Doug on 11-12-12
By: F. A. Hayek
-
Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 749
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 655
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 642
For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Reader Actually Enhances A Great Book!
- By Don Caliente on 07-14-14
-
The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World
- By: Howard Cutler M.D., His Holiness The Dalai Lama
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 181
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 127
The Art of Happiness has become the classic guide to the Dalai Lama's enlightened approach to living. In this inspirational new volume, the unique collaboration between the Dalai Lama and the highly respected scholar Howard Cutler returns with a practical application of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual values to the stressful and demanding world we all live in today.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not what I expected?
- By Michael on 04-19-10
By: Howard Cutler M.D., and others
-
A Manual for Creating Atheists
- By: Peter Boghossian
- Narrated by: Peter Boghossian
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 933
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 830
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 822
For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith - and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, this audiobook offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith - but for talking them out of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The first atheist missionary
- By Paul on 03-18-14
By: Peter Boghossian
-
The Moral Landscape
- How Science Can Determine Human Values
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,436
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,611
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,553
In this explosive new book, Sam Harris tears down the wall between scientific facts and human values, arguing that most people are simply mistaken about the relationship between morality and the rest of human knowledge. Harris urges us to think about morality in terms of human and animal well-being, viewing the experiences of conscious creatures as peaks and valleys on a "moral landscape".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Read it
- By Paul on 11-23-10
By: Sam Harris
-
The Myth of Race
- The Troubling Persistence of an Unscientific Idea
- By: Robert Wald Sussman
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 200
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 163
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 162
Although eugenics is now widely discredited, some groups and individuals claim a new scientific basis for old racist assumptions. Pondering the continuing influence of racist research and thought, despite all evidence to the contrary, Robert Wald Sussman explains why - when it comes to race - too many people still mistake bigotry for science.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An important look at race, genetics, & politics
- By Elisabeth Carey on 03-29-18
-
The Fatal Conceit
- The Errors of Socialism
- By: F. A. Hayek
- Narrated by: Everett Sherman
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 487
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 421
Hayek gives the main arguments for the free-market case and presents his manifesto on the "errors of socialism." Hayek argues that socialism has, from its origins, been mistaken on factual, and even on logical, grounds and that its repeated failures in the many different practical applications of socialist ideas that this century has witnessed were the direct outcome of these errors. He labels as the "fatal conceit" the idea that "man is able to shape the world around him according to his wishes."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
If more had these insights we'd be better off
- By Doug on 11-12-12
By: F. A. Hayek
-
Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 749
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 655
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 642
For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Reader Actually Enhances A Great Book!
- By Don Caliente on 07-14-14
-
The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World
- By: Howard Cutler M.D., His Holiness The Dalai Lama
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 181
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 127
The Art of Happiness has become the classic guide to the Dalai Lama's enlightened approach to living. In this inspirational new volume, the unique collaboration between the Dalai Lama and the highly respected scholar Howard Cutler returns with a practical application of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual values to the stressful and demanding world we all live in today.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not what I expected?
- By Michael on 04-19-10
By: Howard Cutler M.D., and others
-
The Satanic Narratives
- A Modern Satanic Bible
- By: Damien Ba'al
- Narrated by: Damien Ba'al
- Length: 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 503
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 430
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 422
The Satanic Narratives: A Modern Satanic Bible is a foundational text thoroughly deconstructing Satan, the adversarial archetype and the individualism of the Left-Hand Path. This updated Satanic Bible marks a reformation in the religion of Satanism, accessible to the average listener and philosopher alike. Satanists who struggled to find meaning in LaVey's Rand-inspired social Darwinism, will embrace this new focus on activism and social justice.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
narration
- By Tyler G. on 12-20-17
By: Damien Ba'al
-
Sense and Goodness Without God
- A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism
- By: Richard Carrier
- Narrated by: Richard Carrier
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 160
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
If God does not exist, then what does? Is there good and evil, and should we care? How do we know what's true anyway? And can we make any sense of this universe, or our own lives? Sense and Goodness Without God answers these questions in lavish detail, without complex jargon. Arguing that there is only a physical, natural world without gods or spirits, noted historian and philosopher Richard Carrier presents and defends a complete worldview, one in which we can live a life of love, meaning, and joy.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Alone again, Naturally
- By Gary on 07-29-14
By: Richard Carrier
-
Technopoly
- The Surrender of Culture to Technology
- By: Neil Postman
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 671
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 575
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 573
In this witty, often terrifying work of cultural criticism, Postman chronicles our transformation into a Technopoly: a society that no longer merely uses technology as a support system but instead is shaped by it. According to Postman, technology is rapidly gaining sovereignty over social institutions and national life to become self-justifying, self-perpetuating, and omnipresent. He warns that this will have radical consequences for the meanings of politics, art, religion, family, education, and more.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Error in recording
- By D. Cassidy on 04-30-15
By: Neil Postman
-
Faith Versus Fact
- Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible
- By: Jerry A. Coyne
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 536
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 481
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 473
In his provocative new book, evolutionary biologist Jerry A. Coyne lays out in clear, dispassionate detail why the toolkit of science, based on reason and empirical study, is reliable, while that of religion - including faith, dogma, and revelation - leads to incorrect, untestable, or conflicting conclusions.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Jerry Coyne Does It Again
- By Samuel on 08-05-15
By: Jerry A. Coyne
-
Minds Make Societies
- How Cognition Explains the World Humans Create
- By: Pascal Boyer
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 115
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 96
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 97
“There is no good reason why human societies should not be described and explained with the same precision and success as the rest of nature.” Thus argues evolutionary psychologist Pascal Boyer in this uniquely innovative book. Integrating recent insights from evolutionary biology, genetics, psychology, economics, and other fields, Boyer offers precise models of why humans engage in social behaviors such as forming families, tribes, and nations, or creating gender roles.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Paradoxical Evolutionary Psychology?
- By Stanley Lippman on 07-01-20
By: Pascal Boyer
-
About Behaviorism
- By: B.F. Skinner
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
About Behaviorism is about the controversial philosophy known as behaviorism, written by its leading exponent.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Refreshing and concise
- By Autumn and Sam on 07-30-22
By: B.F. Skinner
-
Primates and Philosophers
- How Morality Evolved
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 53
"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality.In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Having Just Read...
- By Douglas on 12-14-13
By: Frans de Waal
-
How We Know What Isn't So
- The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life
- By: Thomas Gilovich
- Narrated by: Dan Gallagher
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 63
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56
Thomas Gilovich offers a wise and readable guide to the fallacy of the obvious in everyday life. When can we trust what we believe - that "teams and players have winning streaks", that "flattery works", or that "the more people who agree, the more likely they are to be right" - and when are such beliefs suspect? Thomas Gilovich offers a guide to the fallacy of the obvious in everyday life. Illustrating his points with examples, and supporting them with the latest research findings, he documents the cognitive, social, and motivational processes that distort our thoughts.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
great listen!
- By MannyB on 11-20-19
By: Thomas Gilovich
-
Depression Relief
- How to Stop Feeling Anxious, Low Moods, Worry, Guilt, Sadness and Not Getting Any Enjoyment out of Life within 7 Days or Less
- By: Mike Mitchell
- Narrated by: Joseph M. Clarke
- Length: 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
Depression changes perspectives. It can be confusing and frightening when you can't break through the sadness that surrounds you or when someone you love no longer responds to everyday situations in the same way. Depression often fosters a sensation of hopelessness, but the situation is not hopeless. Whether depression has affected you or someone you know and care about, you're looking for answers. This book provides answers that will spark a ray of hope in the gloomy world of the depressed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
worth the credit
- By Chard on 03-15-19
By: Mike Mitchell
-
Summary, Analysis, and Review of Michael Lewis's The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
- By: Start Publishing Notes
- Narrated by: Michael Gilboe
- Length: 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
Please note: This is a key takeaways and analysis of the book and not the original book. Start Publishing Notes' Summary, Analysis, and Review of Michael Lewis's The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds includes a summary of the book, review, analysis and key takeaways, and detailed "about the author" section.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Easy to follow and just enough substance
- By Adrienne on 08-18-19
-
The God Argument
- The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 191
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 188
What are the arguments for and against religion and religious belief - all of them - right across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious, and do they stand up to scrutiny? Can there be a clear, full statement of these arguments that once and for all will show what is at stake in this debate? Equally important: what is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating Topic Made Mind Numbingly Dull
- By m.emery on 06-17-15
By: A. C. Grayling
-
Big Gods
- How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
- By: Ara Norenzayan
- Narrated by: Paul Nixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
How did human societies scale up from small, tight-knit groups of hunter-gatherers to the large, anonymous, cooperative societies of today - even though anonymity is the enemy of cooperation? How did organized religions with "Big Gods" - the great monotheistic and polytheistic faiths - spread to colonize most minds in the world? In Big Gods, Ara Norenzayan makes the surprising and provocative argument that these fundamental puzzles about the origins of civilization are one and the same, and answer each other.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great read
- By paro on 02-27-24
By: Ara Norenzayan
Publisher's summary
Cults are still in existence today through religious sects, deceiving fitness programs, supplement companies, and many other forms. Cults had first arisen in the 1950s, but they've made a large enough impact that they still exist today.
When a debate about cults comes into a conversation, one side will always explain cults existences through brain washing tactics, while the other side will defend a cult member by explaining that they made the choice to join a cult. Maybe we should analyze both of these arguments and then make a decision.
The author possesses a bachelor's degree of business administration and an associate's degree of management technology.
Related to this topic
-
Primates and Philosophers
- How Morality Evolved
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 53
"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality.In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Having Just Read...
- By Douglas on 12-14-13
By: Frans de Waal
-
Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion
- By: Benjamin E. Zeller
- Narrated by: Eric Burns
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 81
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
In March 1997, 39 people in Rancho Santa Fe, California, ritually terminated their lives. To outsiders, it was a mass suicide. To insiders, it was a graduation. Benjamin Zeller not only explores the question of why the members of Heaven's Gate committed ritual suicides, but interrogates the origin and evolution of the religion, its appeal, and its practices. By tracking the development of the history, social structure, and worldview of Heaven's Gate, Zeller shows that the movement was both a reflection and a microcosm of larger American culture.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
cult apologia.
- By Avery on 06-01-20
-
Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 749
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 655
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 642
For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Reader Actually Enhances A Great Book!
- By Don Caliente on 07-14-14
-
The God Argument
- The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 191
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 188
What are the arguments for and against religion and religious belief - all of them - right across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious, and do they stand up to scrutiny? Can there be a clear, full statement of these arguments that once and for all will show what is at stake in this debate? Equally important: what is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating Topic Made Mind Numbingly Dull
- By m.emery on 06-17-15
By: A. C. Grayling
-
Big Gods
- How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
- By: Ara Norenzayan
- Narrated by: Paul Nixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
How did human societies scale up from small, tight-knit groups of hunter-gatherers to the large, anonymous, cooperative societies of today - even though anonymity is the enemy of cooperation? How did organized religions with "Big Gods" - the great monotheistic and polytheistic faiths - spread to colonize most minds in the world? In Big Gods, Ara Norenzayan makes the surprising and provocative argument that these fundamental puzzles about the origins of civilization are one and the same, and answer each other.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great read
- By paro on 02-27-24
By: Ara Norenzayan
-
Atheism for Dummies
- By: Dale McGowan PhD
- Narrated by: Paul Mantell
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
Atheism For Dummies offers a brief history of atheist philosophy and its evolution, explores it as a historical and cultural movement, covers important historical writings on the subject, and discusses the nature of ethics and morality in the absence of religion. A simple, yet intelligent exploration of an often misunderstood philosophy.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great topic...irritating narrator
- By Duke Playbent on 10-26-14
By: Dale McGowan PhD
-
Primates and Philosophers
- How Morality Evolved
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 53
"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality.In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Having Just Read...
- By Douglas on 12-14-13
By: Frans de Waal
-
Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion
- By: Benjamin E. Zeller
- Narrated by: Eric Burns
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 81
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
In March 1997, 39 people in Rancho Santa Fe, California, ritually terminated their lives. To outsiders, it was a mass suicide. To insiders, it was a graduation. Benjamin Zeller not only explores the question of why the members of Heaven's Gate committed ritual suicides, but interrogates the origin and evolution of the religion, its appeal, and its practices. By tracking the development of the history, social structure, and worldview of Heaven's Gate, Zeller shows that the movement was both a reflection and a microcosm of larger American culture.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
cult apologia.
- By Avery on 06-01-20
-
Breaking the Spell
- Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 749
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 655
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 642
For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why - and how - it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Reader Actually Enhances A Great Book!
- By Don Caliente on 07-14-14
-
The God Argument
- The Case Against Religion and for Humanism
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 191
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 188
What are the arguments for and against religion and religious belief - all of them - right across the range of reasons and motives that people have for being religious, and do they stand up to scrutiny? Can there be a clear, full statement of these arguments that once and for all will show what is at stake in this debate? Equally important: what is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating Topic Made Mind Numbingly Dull
- By m.emery on 06-17-15
By: A. C. Grayling
-
Big Gods
- How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
- By: Ara Norenzayan
- Narrated by: Paul Nixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
How did human societies scale up from small, tight-knit groups of hunter-gatherers to the large, anonymous, cooperative societies of today - even though anonymity is the enemy of cooperation? How did organized religions with "Big Gods" - the great monotheistic and polytheistic faiths - spread to colonize most minds in the world? In Big Gods, Ara Norenzayan makes the surprising and provocative argument that these fundamental puzzles about the origins of civilization are one and the same, and answer each other.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great read
- By paro on 02-27-24
By: Ara Norenzayan
-
Atheism for Dummies
- By: Dale McGowan PhD
- Narrated by: Paul Mantell
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
Atheism For Dummies offers a brief history of atheist philosophy and its evolution, explores it as a historical and cultural movement, covers important historical writings on the subject, and discusses the nature of ethics and morality in the absence of religion. A simple, yet intelligent exploration of an often misunderstood philosophy.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great topic...irritating narrator
- By Duke Playbent on 10-26-14
By: Dale McGowan PhD
-
About Behaviorism
- By: B.F. Skinner
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
About Behaviorism is about the controversial philosophy known as behaviorism, written by its leading exponent.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Refreshing and concise
- By Autumn and Sam on 07-30-22
By: B.F. Skinner
-
The Twilight of the American Enlightenment
- The 1950s and the Crisis of Liberal Belief
- By: George M. Marsden
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
In the aftermath of World War II, the United States stood at a precipice. The forces of modernity unleashed by the war had led to astonishing advances in daily life, but technology and mass culture also threatened to erode the country's traditional moral character. As award-winning historian George M. Marsden explains in The Twilight of the American Enlightenment, postwar Americans looked to the country's secular liberalelites for guidance in this precarious time, but these intellectuals proved unable to articulate a coherent common cause by which America could chart its course.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Such a relevant book to our current world
- By Adam Shields on 09-14-16
-
In Defense of History
- By: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 31
Richard J. Evans shows us how historians manage to extract meaning from the recalcitrant past. To materials that are frustratingly meager, or overwhelmingly profuse, they bring an array of tools that range from agreed-upon rules of documentation to the critical application of social and economic theory, all employed with the aim of reconstructing a verifiable, usable past. Evans defends this commitment to historical knowledge from the attacks of postmodernist critics who deny the possibility of achieving any kind of certain knowledge about the past.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Enlightening
- By David A on 07-03-18
By: Richard J. Evans
-
The Spiritual Brain
- A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul
- By: Mario Beauregard, Denyse O'Leary
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 160
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 86
Does religious experience come from God, or is it just the random firing of neurons in the brain? Drawing on brain research on Carmelite nuns that has attracted major media attention and provocative new research in near-death experiences, The Spiritual Brain proves that genuine, life-changing spiritual events can be documented. The authors make a convincing case for what many in science are loathe to consider: that it is God who creates our spiritual experiences, not the brain.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
interesting topic, but frustrating listen
- By Barry T on 08-27-08
By: Mario Beauregard, and others
-
The Science of Good and Evil
- Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule
- By: Michael Shermer
- Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 68
In The Science of Good and Evil, psychologist and science historian Michael Shermer explores how humans evolved from social primates into moral primates, how and why morality motivates the human animal, and how the foundation of moral principles can be built upon empirical evidence. Along the way he explains the implications of scientific findings for fate and free will, the existence of pure good and pure evil, and the development of early moral sentiments among the first humans.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Read by author
- By Gregory A. Townsend on 04-16-23
By: Michael Shermer
-
Theory and History
- An Interpretation of Social and Economic Evolution (LvMI)
- By: Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
Like F.A. Hayek, Ludwig von Mises moved beyond economics in his later years to address questions regarding the foundation of all social science. But unlike Hayek's attempts, Mises' writings on these matters have received less attention than they deserve. Theory and History, writes Rothbard in his introduction, "remains by far the most neglected masterwork of Mises". Here Mises defends his all-important idea of methodological dualism: one approach to the hard sciences and another for the social sciences.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Without This Book, You Are Uneducated
- By Michael D. Rubin on 10-03-18
By: Ludwig von Mises, and others
-
On Becoming a Person
- A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy
- By: Carl R. Rogers, Peter D. Kramer MD - introduction
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 349
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 291
The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement, revolutionized psychotherapy with his concept of "client-centered therapy." His influence has spanned decades, but that influence has become so much a part of mainstream psychology that the ingenious nature of his work has almost been forgotten. With a new introduction by Peter Kramer, this landmark book is a classic in its field and a must-listen for anyone interested in clinical psychology or personal growth.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An introduction to the core humanistic issues
- By Amazon Customer on 04-08-18
By: Carl R. Rogers, and others
-
Why Trust Science?
- The University Center for Human Values, Book 1
- By: Naomi Oreskes
- Narrated by: John Chancer, Kelly Burke, Kerry Shale, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 68
Do doctors really know what they are talking about when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when our own politicians don't? In this landmark book, Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength - and the greatest reason we can trust it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Perfect Production of an Excellent Work
- By Andrew Mazibrada on 01-15-20
By: Naomi Oreskes
-
Hitler's Religion
- The Twisted Beliefs That Drove the Third Reich
- By: Richard Weikart
- Narrated by: Ian Fisher
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Weikart reveals the startling and fascinating truth about the most hated man of the 20th century: Adolf Hitler was a pantheist who believed nature was God. In Hitler's Religion, Weikart explains how the laws of nature became Hitler's only moral guide - how he became convinced he would serve God by annihilating supposedly "inferior" human beings and promoting the welfare and reproduction of the allegedly superior Aryansin accordance with racist forms of Darwinism prevalent at the time.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Hitler's Religion - (Subtile is ridiculous)
- By M. Johnson on 07-16-18
By: Richard Weikart
-
The Faith Instinct
- How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures
- By: Nicholas Wade
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 165
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 92
For at least the last fifty thousand years, and probably much longer, people have practiced religion. Yet little attention has been given, either by believers or atheists, to the question of whether this universal human behavior might have an evolutionary basis. Did religion evolve, in other words, because it helped people in early societies survive?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
If you're religious or into religion read this
- By Adam on 08-16-10
By: Nicholas Wade
-
Finding Truth
- 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes
- By: Nancy Pearcey
- Narrated by: Pamela Klein
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 146
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 121
Don't think, just believe?That's the mantra in many circles today - whether the church, the classroom, the campus, or the voting booth. Nancy Pearcey, best-selling and critically acclaimed author, offers fresh tools to break free from presumed certainties and test them against reality.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Must Read!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-10-16
By: Nancy Pearcey
-
Why You Think the Way You Do
- The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home
- By: Glenn S. Sunshine
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
Why You Think the Way You Do traces the development of the worldviews that underpin the Western world. Professor and historian Glenn S. Sunshine demonstrates the decisive impact that the growth of Christianity had in transforming the outlook of pagan Roman culture into one that—based on biblical concepts of humanity and its relationship with God—established virtually all the positive aspects of Western civilization.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
"Christian's view of the western world"
- By Bradley on 03-21-10
What listeners say about Cult Conversion: Is It Freewill or Brainwashing?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jada Ryker
- 05-09-15
Great Discussion
Where does Cult Conversion: Is It Freewill or Brainwashing? rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is the best audio book I've listened to thus far.
What did you like best about this story?
I enjoyed the discussion.
Any additional comments?
The narrator did an excellent job.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful