Psychological Science and Religious Education in a Devout University: The Case of Pain Overlap Theory and the Talmud

Abstract

Educators employed in devoutly religious institutions often teach students who view even their secular higher education through a uniquely religious lens. Based on his own experiences teaching psychological science at a Jewish university, the author suggests enhancing student interest and enthusiasm by wedding secular curricula with religious education, where feasible. By way of illustration, the current article shows how a cutting edge area of brain research could be taught in the context of ancient and medieval Jewish sources. This example is especially appropriate, given the recent special interest among leaders in the field of religious education in the potential relationships between their own discipline and the field of neuroscience, as well as the fact that the literatures of the histories of neuroscience and related disciplines have long noted the relevance of Jewish religious sources.