science

Ilkka Pyysiäinen

Ilkka Pyysiäinen is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ilkka Pyysiäinen rather than just read about it. In short: Ilkka Eljas Pyysiäinen (born July 9, 1959) is a Finnish docent and doctor of theology, whose research has focused on cognitive science of religion. He has also studied religious thinking, religious language, and religious experience.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Ilkka Eljas Pyysiäinen (born July 9, 1959) is a Finnish docent and doctor of theology, whose research has focused on cognitive science of religion. He has also studied religious thinking, religious language, and religious experience. Pyysiäinen is also known as an atheist and a critic of religion.

Views In cognitive theology, Ilkka Pyysiäinen explores categories, language, consciousness and religious concepts as part of human thinking. For example, he explores 'God' as a cognitive category of human data processing, or thinking, that has been used in many contexts throughout history. Pyysiäisen that "god" is located outside the class at the same time a limited and everything inside of comprehensive, which is real and behavior and experience, when a person feels (reality) border. At the same time, according to him, it sits where human knowledge and understanding ceases and functions as a class independent of other classes of thought, as it serves as the conceptual boundary between reality and non-reality. According to Ilkka Pyysiäinen, the term "religion" is a misleading abstract concept for which there is no clear operationalized definition in theology. This is why the talk of converting religion to something else is misleading. In his view, however, reduction in science is necessary because all scientific knowledge is reduced in some sense of the term. Religious science can increase scientific knowledge about religious phenomena, but it is inherent in science that it always ignores something and is point-of-view. Ilkka Pyysiäinen has criticized the fideist view of religion. According to Fideists, religions do not claim anything about reality, but are, instead, a kind of internal depiction of people's mental movements. Pyysiäinen points out that the majority of believers have always thought that their religious concepts and beliefs point to reality and are true. Theologians' claims about the symbolism of religious doctrines are the result of scientific progress, an attempt to save religion before science. It is reasonable to say in the petition that religious beliefs contain concepts of reality that are at odds with science. Religion is part of everyday thought, which is in contradiction with science in much the same way as many other ideas of everyday thought.

Works

Books — (1986). Ymmärtämisen aave? Kokemuksellisuus uskonnon tarkastelussa [The ghost of understanding? Experiences in religion] (in Finnish). Mythos. — (1988). Perimmäiset kuvat: Buddhan elämäkerran merkitys theravadan kaanonissa [Ultimate images: The importance of Buddha's life story in the Pāli Canon] (in Finnish). Missiologian ja ekumeniikan seura. ISBN 951-95207-8-3. Pyysiäinen, Ilkka (1993). Beyond language and reason: Mysticism in Indian Buddhism. Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. ISBN 951-41-0709-8. OCLC 260208391. — (1993). Ilo pitkästä itkusta: Buddhalaisuus ja terapiat [The joy of a long cry: Buddhism and therapies] (in Finnish). Yliopistopaino. ISBN 951-570-147-3. — (1997). Jumalan selitys: 'jumala' kognitiivisena kategoriana [An explanation of God: 'God' as a cognitive category] (in Finnish). Helsingissa: Otava. ISBN 951-1-14940-7. OCLC 58306169. — (2001). Harvat ja valitut : kirjoituksia ihmismielestä ja uskonnosta [Selected writings on human mind and religion] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Yliopistopaino. ISBN 951-570-494-4. OCLC 925777976. — (2005). Synti : ajatuksin, sanoin ja töin [Sin: Through thoughts, words, and deeds] (in Finnish). Helsinki: WSOY. ISBN 951-0-30141-8. OCLC 76847612. — (2006). Jumalten keinu: Kiertoajelu uskontotieteessä] [The swing of the gods: A tour of religion] (in Finnish). Gaudeamus. ISBN 951-662-987-3. — (2010). Jumalaa ei ole [There is no God] (in Finnish). Tampere: Vastapaino. ISBN 978-951-768-324-1. OCLC 693807928.

Edited books Meurman-Solin, Anneli; Pyysiäinen, Ilkka, eds. (2005). Ihmistieteet tänään [Humanities today] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Gaudemus: Helsinki University Press / Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies. ISBN 978-951-662-935-6. OCLC 500100897. Ketola, Kimmo; Pyysiäinen, Ilkka; Sjöblom, Tom, eds. (2008). Uskonto ja ihmismieli johdatus kognitiiviseen uskontotieteeseen [Religion and the human mind: An introduction to the cognitive science of religion] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Gaudeamus: Helsinki University Press. ISBN 978-952-495-007-7. OCLC 231195510.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ilkka Pyysiäinen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ilkka Pyysiäinen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ilkka Pyysiäinen before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ilkka Pyysiäinen ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ilkka Pyysiäinen

In research: Ilkka Pyysiäinen appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ilkka Pyysiäinen in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ilkka Pyysiäinen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1959 births, Cognitive science of religion, Critics of religions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ilkka Pyysiäinen outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ilkka Pyysiäinen in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ilkka Pyysiäinen means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Ilkka Pyysiäinen in simple terms?

Why does Ilkka Pyysiäinen matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ilkka Pyysiäinen?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ilkka Pyysiäinen.