The God Gene : How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, perhaps provocative, but filled with errors.
Review: "Hormones...are proteins." The sex hormones are sterols. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are catecholamines . No resemblance to proteins! "Thalamus and hypothalamus are parts of the limbic system." Wrong. Hamer is confused about the 3 molecules forming the crux of his argument: norepinephrine, dopamine ("feel good molecule", but it causes paranoia and psychosis) and serotonin ("the brain chemical involved in negative emotions") The opposite is true: depression is relieved by serotonin.

Rating:
Summary: Remarkably Clear Thinking
Review: A very rare thing, a book like this, written in the manner it is, is a documentation of clear thinking. Clarity of that sort is a bit like crystal in that it rings....

Rating:
Summary: The God Gene hype?
Review: Although the study of the genetics of psychological states, some of them 'mystical', is of great interest, the whole subject, as in this book, verges on incoherence. Questions of religion and spirituality are hopelessly vague because the words themselves have no simple meaning. To say that 'faith' represents religion in the sense of monotheism simply restricts the definition altogether excluding those who protest that 'faith' is a substitute for 'gnosis'. To equate or even compare this then with the enlightenment of the Buddhist, certainly not a proponent of faith, reverses the entire discourse, still under the rubric of religion. Enlightenment for the Buddhist is release from the round of rebirths, certainly something different from a psycho-genetic state. And so the confusions mount up in Hamer's account. In fact, the confusion was present in E.O. Wilson's early attempts as sociobiology to fix 'religion' as a construct of evolutionary biology. It won't work because 'religion', and the evolution of religion, are something altogether different from adaptational evolution. Such a statement can be made entirely from a secular viewpoint. Has noone considered the implications of the Axial Age? We see how religions evolve, and that has nothing to do with genetic. There's a story of a sufi teacher beating a student over the head, "Aren't you sick of mystical states--yet". These mystical highs, thus, to some are merely the rubbish at the doorstep.
Back to the drawing board on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Hamer and Cloninger on spirituality
Review: Although the title of The God Gene is rather hyperbolic, I believe that Dean Hamer succeeds in convincing the reader that there is a genetic component to our inclination toward spirituality. Yet, apart from this, I felt that this work left the reader wanting on the questions of spirituality and the nature of consciousness. I say this, having recently read Robert Cloninger's Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being. If Hamer's, The God Gene arouses your interest in spirituality, you will very likely enjoy Cloninger's book. Cloninger, on whose concept of spirituality Hamer's research was carried out, presents a revolutionary theory of human awareness. Where Hamer can only vaguely speculate on concepts like intuition, awareness, and the path of consciousness, Cloninger identifies, defines, and measures these ideas with scientific rigor. In The God Gene, Hamer used Cloninger's old personality theory, which has since been wholly transformed into a nondualistic model of "coherence." It is based on a hierarchical system that integrates information from all levels of being (the quantum, genetic, physiological, psychological and philosophical levels). Extensive research is presented from a spectrum of scientific fields, which points to the existence of discrete levels of consciousness and serves as a basis to Cloninger's techniques for deepening one's self-aware consciousness.
This review is not meant to disparage or "steal Hamer's fire;" I am very happy when any scientist supports the research of something as valuable and understudied as human spirituality. I wish only to suggest that if you are interested in spirituality and awareness, and the current efforts of science to study these phenomena, you will be vastly more satisfied by Cloninger's Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being.


Rating:
Summary: Good, but not up to the hype...
Review: Dean Hamer, a geneticist at the National Cancer Institute, made a splash a few years back, apparently, with the controversial claim that he had discovered a gene that might, possibly, have some sort of correlation, either directly or indirectly, with whether or not someone has a tendency to become a homosexual.

Now he's done something similar with spirituality.

The title is what this book relies on, of course. It's controversial and compelling. We all want to know how faith is hardwired into our genes. But, sadly, genetic research (when done right) doesn't do that, and though Hamer's obviously trying to make a profit with the book, he isn't going to do it by cheating in the science.

Hamer's finding is that a certain gene that affects the monoamine brain chemicals (i.e. dopamine and the like) is more prevalent in people who are "spiritual," as described by a personality testing scale called "self-transcendence." He describes this in great detail, but basically it's a sort of holistic feeling of oneness with the universe.

The author spends almost as much time explaining what he hasn't found as he does explaining what he has. For example, the gene doesn't seem to correlate with church attendance or other formal religious activity. Many people will, no doubt, argue with how he's defining the spiritual.

Also, he gets on shakier ground when he steps away from pure genetics. At one point, for example, he uses what appears to be outdated information about Neanderthals having religious practice.

One of the universal problems that I had continuously through the text is that he doesn't cite specific resources well. There is a single appendix in the back that provides "Sources and Further Reading" and this appendix is divided by chapter, but he frequently makes claims about some historical or scientific point (such as the aforementioned Neanderthal situation) and the reader is left with no way to verify this information, short of exploring all of the books listed for that section. Also, he directs the readers to few peer-reviewed journals, so we're left with the impression that his own preparation for the book was primarily through popular science books, which may or may not contain accurate information.

My reading of this book was a contradiction. While Hamer has the even-handed skepticism and open-mindedness that I look for in good scientific writing, the book is so heavily tilted toward the popular market that is almost completely devoid of any real scientific merit. His observations are intriguing but, based on this book, certainly not proven nor conclusive ... a point that he himself makes.


Rating:
Summary: self transcendence not "god" gene
Review: Entitled The God Gene Hamer's book is actually about genetic markers for neurotransmitter variability and their subjective effect. Obviously it is more interesting and salable to call the feeling of self transcendence (losing oneself)spirituality and relate this to religion. The book is good in that it traces some of the acheivements in molecular genetics and the tie-ins with human behavior. Hamer does this in a relatively entertaining manner. It is very interesting to see, for example, that the PET scans of monks practicing TM show specific areas of brain activity and attenuation. Later in his book Hamer moves to the concept of memes, organized religion. Unfortunately toward the end, he becomes less the detached observer and leans toward a personal perspective on these topics. (An example of which occurs when Hamer attacks the logic of a particular atheist.)
As an entertaining introduction to some of the relations between feelings and genetic hardwiring, this book is good. However, calling this the "god" gene and relating the feeling of self transcendence to spirituality is the author's extrapolation--not just hyperbole, but a bit disingenuous.

Rating:
Summary: Putting God Back in the Classroom
Review: For most of recorded history, religion has been the central organizing force behind every society of every country in the world. And yet it is quite possible today to receive a "liberal" education without learning a single thing about religion. Not only is the subject avoided by scientists, of both the social and natural variety, but also by historians, sociologists, philosophers, and even "ehticists." Thus it was with some trepedation that I picked up this book about God by a molecular biologist who concedes up front that he is "agnostic".

I am glad that I did. Dean Hamer does a superb job of weaving together the age-pld history of religion, the remarkable varieties of its expression, and the emotional power it has in peoples lives, with all the newest gimmicks of "genomics", brain chemistry, and the like. The result is a truly intriguing analysis of where religion - or at lest the private expression of it, aka spirituality - is derived from.

Hamer is less convincing when he tries to explain away organized religion as the results of "memes", the definition of which remains far too fuzzy for my taste, and his attempts at philosophizing on the future of mankind are frankly painful. Nevertheless, it is encouraging that an academic scientist of Hamer's reputation takes religion as something more than superstition. We can only hope for more deep analysis of this sort in the future.

Rating:
Summary: The PLAGIARISM Gene?
Review: Having been intrigued by the interplay of science and religion since I read The God Part of the Brain by Matthew Alper a couple of years ago, I was eager to see what new light this book might shed on the subject. Unfortunately, not only did I find Hamer's book poorly written but it seemed all he did was to rehash the same ideas espoused by Alper in his book written years ago. As I read further, I was practically shocked to find that not only were the main concepts lifted but almost complete sentences--with perhaps one or two words altered--that were mirrored from The God Part of The Brain. Regardless, unlike Alper's book which has philosophical depth, this book has none as the author doesn't even have the conviction to take a stand as to the possible implications of these ideas. That said, I give this book 1 star and would give it a negative for idea theft if the option were offered. Personally, I want my money back.

Rating:
Summary: The God Gene
Review: Is the book interesting, yes! Is it scientific, no! To suggest that indetical twin became nuns thus faith is in our gene, is really a little fatr fetched. I am grossly disappionted!


Rating:
Summary: Question
Review: Mr Hamper represent his ideas in the book very well, scientifically this book is good, but as something insulting religious people, it does, if it is true that to be religious person you must have this gene, then where is God fairness to judge people for something is not created in them? This book supports the atheism indirectly.