Religion Evolving: Cultural, Cognitive, and Ecological Dynamics

Critical and Constructive Essays, 2014

The goal of science is to achieve a level of understanding which not only explains current observations but also allows us to make predictions. Can science provide this kind of understanding of religion? Can it allow us to predict how holding beliefs categorized as "religious" is likely to affect people's lives, how these effects are likely to play out in the future or how religion itself will change? Despite its interdisciplinary nature, research in cognitive science cannot by itself provide this kind of practical understanding. In this chapter, we will argue that a broader approach, which includes insights gained through studies of cognition, can allow us to develop theories of how changes in the social environment people that experience bring about religious change and changes in the values that govern their lives. Cognitive scientists observe and develop theories about how individual brains process information. However, as Purzycki, Haque and Sosis (this volume) suggest, gaining a practical understanding of how human minds process information, requires that we take into account that fact that humans process information socially as well as within their own individual minds. The human brain is equipped with an array of psychological mechanisms which allow us to share the processing of information during social interactions. As children we acquire a large repertoire of cognitive skills, emotions, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors from the older people who care for us, not just as a result of the genetic endowment from our parents. As we go through life we observe our environment in the presence of other minds. We observe people around us and are aware that they can observe us. We use our unique communication system, language, to discuss perceptions, behaviors, the mental representations that appear to motivate behaviors and many other aspects of our shared lives. The individual and social information processing mechanisms are intricately interconnected and continuously feedback on each other. We share thoughts and create ideas together. We are often not aware if our beliefs about an event are based on our witnessing of the event or the stories told by our fellow witnesses (Loftus, 1996). We will argue that, to gain an understanding of how minds develop the beliefs, values, and behaviors categorized as "religious," it is necessary to take into the account that this development occurs in minds that are situated within social networks. Our argument begins with an explanation of why we see cultural change as a "Darwinian process." We then proceed to review of recent work in comparative primatology and human development which suggests that children are adapted to acquire a vast amount of relatively unconstrained information by imitation and teaching and that humans are able and motivated to "change their minds" throughout their lives. Like all aspects of human culture, religious beliefs can be thought of as being "held" both by the community and the minds of the community members in which the information is actually experienced and stored. Like all aspects of culture, religious beliefs and customs, don't remain static. The culture of a population

2021

This chapter discusses evolution of religion in terms of cultural evolution. We argue that there are good reasons to study religion in terms of cultural evolution. Basic concepts and theories within cultural evolution studies are discussed such as memetics, sociobiology or dual inheritance theory. This chapter also discusses the concept of religion as cultural niche, and the distinction between content biases and context biases.

Journal for The Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 2023

Bejamin Grant Purzycki and Richard Sosis, Religion Evolving: Cultural, Cognitive, and Ecological Dynamics (Sheffield, UK: Equinox, 2022), xviii + 247 pp., £75 (pbk), ISBN: 9781800500525.

Dialogo, 2024

This article explores the concept of 'adaptive symbiosis' between religion and culture, challenging the notion of religions as static or immutable entities by showcasing their dynamic engagement with and adaptation to local cultural contexts. The notion of 'adaptive symbiosis' transcends mere coexistence or amalgamation, embodying a deep, complex process of mutual adaptation. Within this evolutionary dance, both religion and culture emerge not merely as participants but as co-creators of a new reality. Through the examination of various religious traditions-such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and others-it illustrates how religions evolve in symbiotic relationships with host cultures, leading to the creation of hybrid cultural-religious identities. Highlighting the mechanisms of biological adaptation-mutualism, amensalism, commensalism, and parasitism-as metaphors, the article delves into the complex interplay between religious teachings and cultural integration. It argues against viewing religions as immutable, instead presenting them as evolving entities that contribute to the richness and diversity of human civilization, especially in the context of globalization. This dynamic, evolving space of adaptive negotiations underlines the importance of understanding the fluid nature of cultural and religious boundaries in contributing to novel forms of expression and identity. Through this exploration, we aim to shed light on the enduring and evolving relationship between religion and culture, highlighting how this dynamic interplay contributes to the richness and diversity of human civilization.

Society, Technology, Language, and Religion, 2013

Religion may be one factor that enabled large-scale complex human societies to evolve. Utilizing a cultural evolutionary approach, this chapter seeks explanations for patterns of complexity and variation in religion within and across groups, over time. Properties of religious systems (e.g., rituals, ritualized behaviors, overimitation, synchrony, sacred values) are examined at different social scales, from small-scale forager to large-scale urban societies. The role of religion in transitional societies is discussed, as well as the impact of witchcraft, superhuman policing, and the cultural evolution of moralizing gods. The shift from an imagistic to a doctrinal mode of religiosity is examined, as are the relationships between sacred values and secular worlds. Cultural evolutionary approaches to religion require evidence and methods from collaborative and multidisciplinary science. The chapter concludes with an overview of several projects that are working to provide conceptual, methodological, and empirical groundwork.

2006

This article examines three anthropological theories explaining how religion has evolved and continues to evolve. They are: commitment theory, which postulates that religion is a system of costly signaling that reduces deception and creates cooperation within groups; cognitive theory, which postulates that religion is the manifestation of mental modules that have evolved for other purposes; and ecological regulation theory, which postulates that religion is a master control system regulating the interaction of human groups with their environments. An assessment of the success of the theories is offered. The idea that the biological evolution of the capacity for religion is based on the group selection rather than individual selection is rejected as unnecessary. The relationship between adaptive systems and culturally transmitted sacred values is examined cross-culturally, and the three theories are integrated into an overall gene-culture view of religion that includes both the biological evolution and the cultural evolution of behavioral systems.

Religion, 2008

Neo-Darwinian theories of religion include both nonadaptationist and adaptationist versions. Nonadaptationist versions contend that the mental architecture of the brain is wired for religious thinking but that religious concepts have piggybacked on other cognitive adaptations, especially those for agency detection. Religious concepts are not evolved biological adaptations but rather by-products of more general cognitive structures that are adaptations. Adaptationist versions concentrate on the benefits provided by religion, such as increased social cohesion and the individual benefits that stem from it, such as better physical and mental health and greater longevity. After clarifying the meaning of the terms “adaptation” and “adaptationism,” this article presents four lines of evidence in favor of the adaptationist position: (1) in the ancestral environment the role of the shaman was nearly universal and was primarily devoted to the crucial human goals of curing illness and protecting and finding vital resources; (2) religion generally has positive effects on both physical and mental health; (3) religions tend to be pro-natalist and more religious people tend to leave more offspring than less religious or nonreligious people; (4) the major world religions that evolved in the first millennium BCE during a period of major social chaos and disruption emphasized an omnipotent, transcendent God of love and mercy who offered salvation in a heavenly afterlife and released individuals from earthly suffering. None of these facts demonstrate conclusively that cognitive modules specifically oriented to supernatural agents evolved by natural selection, but they are highly suggestive and make a good inferential case.