West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of BeliefAfter spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith. Why, he wondered, when there was nothing left to believe in, could he begin to believe in something as unlikely as surfing? What was belief anyway? How did it work in the body, the brain, our culture, and human history? With the help of everyone from rebel surfers to rocket scientists, Kotler undertakes a three-year globetrotting quest. The results are a startling mix of big waves and bigger ideas: a surfer's journey into the biological underpinnings of belief itself. |
Contents
Section 25 | 124 |
Section 26 | 126 |
Section 27 | 137 |
Section 28 | 143 |
Section 29 | 147 |
Section 30 | 150 |
Section 31 | 155 |
Section 32 | 161 |
Section 9 | 37 |
Section 10 | 45 |
Section 11 | 51 |
Section 12 | 54 |
Section 13 | 60 |
Section 14 | 66 |
Section 15 | 70 |
Section 16 | 75 |
Section 17 | 79 |
Section 18 | 85 |
Section 19 | 99 |
Section 20 | 104 |
Section 21 | 107 |
Section 22 | 113 |
Section 23 | 116 |
Section 24 | 121 |
Section 33 | 164 |
Section 34 | 171 |
Section 35 | 181 |
Section 36 | 187 |
Section 37 | 192 |
Section 38 | 204 |
Section 39 | 217 |
Section 40 | 223 |
Section 41 | 228 |
Section 42 | 235 |
Section 43 | 240 |
Section 44 | 243 |
Section 45 | 247 |
Section 46 | 251 |
Section 47 | 261 |
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Common terms and phrases
asked beach began believe brain break bungee jump called catch a wave caught Chacala Charlie Young Chris Conductor's story Conductor's tale control the weather dopamine drove Duke Kahanamoku edge Endless Summer endorphins fear feeling feet felt funboard G-LOC Goofyfoot happened Hawaii Hawaiian head heard hundred idea Iolani Palace island Kaena Point knew La'amaomao later lineup live longboard looked magic Maori means Mexico miles Morse mystical myth near-death experience never night North Shore Nusa Dua ocean out-of-body experiences paddle Paka'a Pake Pipeline plenty Polynesian produce Raglan reef ride rock scientists seemed shortboard sitting spiritual sport spot started Stone surf surf story surfboard surfers swell synchronicity talk tell there's things thought told Tom Stone took tube turned VMAT2 walked wanted wave's weather control wind gourd Zealand