Leaps of Faith

Leaps of Faith is a compelling and highly praised critique of beliefs in paranormal phenomena, miracles, and the like, written by the noted British psychologist Nicholas Humphrey. The author argues that our beliefs in the supernatural typically originate in anxiety about the future and are sustained by an entrenched belief in the duality of mind and body. More than just a debunking of supernaturalism, Leaps of Faith explores the psychology of the all-too-human tendency for wishful thinking. It explains why we hark after a fantasy world of magic and miracles - even when, arguably, we already live in the only world that offers real hope of fulfillment.

That Hypothesis. - Who Needs It? - Preparing for the Best. - A Ministry of Science. - The Howling Storm. - Jam Today. - Another Think Coming. - Uncommon Sense. - The World of a Difference. - Breaking the Law. - Anything Goes? - Designed Too Far. - The Art of the Possible? - Behold the Man. - Into the Light. - P? K? - E? S? P? - Need You Ask. - Keeping the Faith. - Three Givens. - Being There. - Inside Stories. - On Good Authority. - It Stands to Reason. - Beyond the Limits. - Nothing for Free. - On the Wings of a Dove. - Notes. - Index.