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Evolutionary psychology of religion is based on the hypothesis that religious belief can be explained, at least in part, by the evolution of the human brain. Evolutionary psychology ( EP) attempts to explain mental and psychological traits such as Memory, Perception, Religious belief refers to a mental state in which trust ( Faith) is placed in a Creed related to the Supernatural, Sacred, or divine The human brain controls the Central nervous system (CNS by way of the Cranial nerves and Spinal cord, the Peripheral nervous system (PNS

As with all other organ functions, cognition's functional structure has been argued to have a genetic basis, and is therefore subject to the effects of natural selection. Cognition is a concept used in different ways by different disciplines but is generally accepted to mean the process of awareness or thought Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of Like other organs and tissues, this functional structure should be universally shared amongst humans and should solve important problems of survival and reproduction. Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand cognitive processes by understanding the survival and reproductive functions they might serve, and some have theorized that Voltaire's famous saying "if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him" can be thus be argued in a scientific context. François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French

Contents

Psychological processes

Pascal Boyer suggests, in his book Religion Explained, that there is no simple explanation for religious consciousness. Pascal Boyer (fl c 2000 is an Anthropologist who advocates the idea that human Instincts provide us with the basis for an intuitive Theory of mind that Religion Explained The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought is a book by anthropologist Pascal Boyer that discusses the evolutionary origins of religious Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of Mind such as Subjectivity, Self-awareness, Sentience, and the He builds on the ideas of cognitive anthropologists Dan Sperber and Scott Atran, who argued that religious cognition represents a by-product of various evolutionary adaptations, including folk psychology, and purposeful violations of innate expectations about how the world is constructed (for example, bodiless beings with thoughts and emotions) that make religious cognitions striking and memorable. Dan Sperber is a French anthropologist linguist and cognitive scientist currently a Research Director at the Jean Nicod Institute, CNRS. Scott Atran (born 1952 is an American Anthropologist. Education and early career Atran was born in New York City in 1952 and received his PhD in Anthropology Folk psychology (also known as common sense psychology naϊve psychology or vernacular psychology is a set of assumptions constructs and convictions about everyday behaviors of ourselves and others

Boyer's friend and colleague Justin L. Barrett in Why Would Anyone Believe in God? suggests that belief in God is natural because it depends on mental tools possessed by all human beings. Justin L Barrett (born 1971 is senior researcher of the Centre for Anthropology and Mind and The Institute for Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University. He suggests that the way our minds are structured and develop make belief in the existence of a supreme god with properties such as being superknowing, superpowerful and immortal highly attractive[1]. He also compares belief in God to belief in other minds, and devotes a chapter to looking at the evolutionary psychology of atheism.

Cognitive studies

There is general agreement among cognitive scientists that a propensity to follow religions evolved early in human history. However, there is disagreement on the exact mechanisms that drove the evolution of the religious mind. There are two schools of thought. One is that religion evolved due to natural selection, in which case religion conferred some sort of evolutionary advantage. This view finds some support in the extensive studies that show positive associations between religious practice and health and longevity[2]. Proponents of this view include David Sloan Wilson. David Sloan Wilson (1949-) is an American Evolutionary biologist.

The other hypothesis posits that religion is an evolutionary byproduct, a neurological accident. Stephen Jay Gould was a proponent of this hypothesis. Stephen Jay Gould (September 10 1941 &ndash May 20 2002 was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science He believed that religion was an exaptation or a Spandrel. Spandrel is a term used in evolutionary biology describing a phenotypic characteristic that is considered to have developed during Evolution as a side-effect That is religion evolved as byproduct of psychological mechanisms that evolved on the basis of conferring other evolutionary benefits, but confers no particular benefit on its followers. [3][4][5]

Mechanisms

There are a variety of mechanisms that some scholars have proposed regarding the origin of religious beliefs. They include the hyperactive agency detection, reciprocal altruism, memes and group and kinship theories.

Hyperactive agency detection

Justin Barrett suggests that one of the fundamental mental modules is the Hyperactive Agency Detection Device (HADD). Detecting agency may confer a survival benefit even if it is over-sensitive: better avoid an imaginary predator than be killed by a real one. This would tend to encourage belief in ghosts and spirits [6]

Memes

See also: Memes

Richard Dawkins suggests in the The God Delusion that cultural memes function like genes because in that they are subject to natural selection. A meme (miːm consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science The God Delusion is a 2006 bestselling non-fiction book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding A meme (miːm consists of any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation According to Dawkins, because religious truths cannot be questioned, their very nature encourages religions to spread like "mind viruses". According to this view religion, by its very nature is self sustaining. However Dawkins views have attracted considerable controversy from religious movements and from other scientists.

See also

Notes and References

  1. ^ Justin L. Barrett in Why Would Anyone Believe in God p viii
  2. ^ For example Harold G. The historical origins of religion are to be distinguished from their psychological or social origins The evolutionary theory of Religion developed by Pascal Boyer, Scott Atran and others differs from previous attempts to explain why religion exists in that it does Cognitive fluidity is a term first popularly applied by Steven Mithen in his book The Prehistory of the Mind, a search for the origins of Art Religion and Science Psychology of religion is the psychological study of Religious experiences Beliefs and activities The Cognitive Science of Religion is the study of religious thought and behavior from the perspective of the cognitive sciences Justin L Barrett (born 1971 is senior researcher of the Centre for Anthropology and Mind and The Institute for Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University. Koenig and Harvey J. Cohen. The Link between Religion and Health: Psychoneuroimmunology and the Faith Factor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001 summarised and assessed the results of 100 evidence-based studies that systematically examined the relationship between religion and human well-being, finding that 79% showed positive influence
  3. ^ Article in the New York Times Darwin’s God
  4. ^ Toward an evolutionary psychology of religion and personality
  5. ^ The evolutionary psychology of religion Steven Pinker
  6. ^ Barrett op cit Ch 3

Further reading

Links

Scott Atran (born 1952 is an American Anthropologist. Education and early career Atran was born in New York City in 1952 and received his PhD in Anthropology Pascal Boyer (fl c 2000 is an Anthropologist who advocates the idea that human Instincts provide us with the basis for an intuitive Theory of mind that
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