Is Religion More Religion Than Purpose?

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I don't understand why despair should be the natural product of a finite life. I'm open to the possibility that just being the host of econ talk would be enough for me. But when you ask why is religion more religion, for some people, meaning I had a religious experience. You're lucky if you have one or two in your lifetime. They give you a sense of something beyond just being yourself.

Neurologist and author Robert Burton talks about his book, On Being Certain, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Burton explores our need for certainty and the challenge of being skeptical about what our brain tells us must be true. Where does what Burton calls "the feeling of knowing" come from? Why can memory lead us astray? Burton claims that our reaction to events emerges from competition among different parts of the brain operating below our level of awareness. The conversation includes a discussion of the experience of transcendence and the different ways humans come to that experience.