God's Brain. Some Critical Remarks on Modern Neurotheology

The author starts from an observed increase in theoretical contributions to the debate on neurotheology, illustrated by the example of the moral implications of certain discourse types in the novel God's Brain (Johler and Burow). Central scriptural passages of the Judeo-Christian tradition are then interpreted; a crucial shared aspect of these is the implication of an eternal divine memory, the physiological dimension of which has fostered, not just in terminology, a general openness of theology from the ‘neuronal turn’ to the neurotheological diagnostics since the late 19th century. Once the question of a possible self-reflection by the neurologist is systematically excluded, it becomes obvious that the ‘twilight of neurosciences’ still contains a considerable ideological potential. This is particularly evident in light of the questions addressed since the 1970s, despite the most modern methods in imaging and measurement.