Religion and Religious Beliefs as Evolutionary Adaptations

Szocik, Konrad

doi:10.1111/zygo.12324

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Future EGT models can manipulate a variety of ecological and sociopolitical factors, such as climate change, resources, institutions, social networks, and/or intergroup competition, and investigate their impact on cultural dynamics. For example, societal institutions like religion are of interest both as a context and a cultural adaptation (Szocik, 2017). Moreover, EGT approaches can study cultural adaptation not only to the physical environment, but to virtual environments, and examine, for example, the impact of anonymity and social network mobility on cooperative behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating evolutionary game theory and cross-cultural psychology to understand cultural dynamics.

Pan¹,

Gelfand²,

Nau³

2021

American Psychologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article, we show that an evolutionary game theoretic (EGT) modeling approach can be fruitfully integrated with research in cross-cultural psychology to provide insight into cultural dynamics. EGT was initially developed to model biological evolution, but has been increasingly used to study the evolution of human behavior. Through “virtual experimentation,” EGT models can be used to test the effects of various factors on the trajectories of behavioral change at the population level. We illustrate how EGT models can provide new insights into processes of cultural adaptation, transmission, maintenance, and change. We conclude with the strengths and limitations of using EGT to study cultural dynamics and new frontiers that await investigation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating evolutionary game theory and cross-cultural psychology to understand cultural dynamics.

Pan¹,

Gelfand²,

Nau³

2021

American Psychologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the sample of interviews and analyzed texts are relatively small, continuous interviews and text analyses proved their value as new interviews stopped providing new information (Guest et al 2006). We analyzed religious sensitivity following the theory of Cognitive Science of Religion (Barrett and Lanman 2008;Slingerland and Bulbulia 2011;Szocik 2017;McCauley et al 2013;Lawson and McCauley 1990;Boyer 2001;Atran 2002). We adopt an evolutionary framework to explain beliefs and practices concerning supernatural entities.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As recent development among CSR shows, religious belief is a rather slippery concept (Peedu 2016;Purzycki et al 2012;Barrett 2017;Szocik 2017;Boyer 2018;Purzycki et al 2018;McCauley 2013). It is a relatively new concept that seems to be relevant for a historical study of the Reformation in the 16th century, when both sides-Protestants and Catholics-drove themselves to a position of needing to formulate their theology explicitly.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Limiting of the Impact of Proxy Culture Wars by Religious Sensitivity: The Fight of Neo-Pentecostal Churches against LGBTQ Rights Organizations over Uganda’s Future

Paleček

Tazlar

2021

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It has been argued recently that Uganda’s sexual law should be interpreted as a part of gender power struggles, rather than in the original neo-colonial interpretation or as a result of structural changes and President Museveni’s pragmatic policy. Based on our intensive fieldwork during the dry season in 2017, we argue that an understanding of this development as a combination of the US proxy culture wars–US cultural wars being fought worldwide-interacting with local religious sensitivity is more plausible. The “sexual law” is a product of the clash between conservatives and progressivists over Uganda’s future. The Neo-Pentecostals—typically supported by conservative circles from the USA and Canada—stand against the influence of secular NGOs—mostly connected with the LGBTQ and progressivist circles from the USA and EU. However, the effect of international influence is limited due to religious sensitivity, shaped by local tradition. Uganda’s people are not passive victims of any kind. They take an active part in the global contest between cultural progressivists and conservatives.

show abstract

“…An alternative story on the origin and transmission of religious components tries to provide a different explanation than CSR does. The adaptationist accounts assume that similar religious beliefs are widespread across cultures because they provided the same adaptive functions (Sosis , , ; Wilson ; Szocik , ). This model also assumes some common human conditions, and in this sense is similar to the CSR approach.…”

Section: The Adaptationist Story On Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Remarks on the Cognitive Science of Religion

Szocik¹

2020

Zygon

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cognitive explanations of religious beliefs propose an evolutionary past in which humans had to possess certain cognitive adaptations to survive. The aim of this article is to show that some cognitive accounts may overvalue the putative role of cognition. One such cognitive idea is an assumption that cognition has been evolutionarily shaped only, or most importantly, in the Pleistocene. This idea seems common among writers on the cognitive science of religion (CSR), but is mistaken. Cognition has been shaped throughout evolution. Another idea is that components of religion could not have been produced by natural selection (the hypothesis that religion is a by-product). But the article suggests that there are some domains in the field of religion and religious components that could be acquired and transmitted despite or even against alleged cognitive biases. The aim of this article is to argue for an extended approach that combines a cognitive account with functional naturalistic approaches, including an adaptationist one. Such distinction could imply that cognition is not functional. Obviously, this is not the case since cognition is the process of knowing, and surely knowledge is functional. However, the main argument for such a distinction lies in the key idea of the cognitive account that as far as cognition is functional and adaptive, religious components are not. Functionalism or "adaptivism" concerning cognition contradicts functionalism concerning religion. Numbers of scholars who consider themselves part of CSR seem also to consider both cognition and religion adaptive. However, in regard to components of religion, their adaptive, functional power is only Konrad Szocik is Assistant Professor at

show abstract

Religion and Religious Beliefs as Evolutionary Adaptations

Cited by 14 publications

References 44 publications

Integrating evolutionary game theory and cross-cultural psychology to understand cultural dynamics.

Integrating evolutionary game theory and cross-cultural psychology to understand cultural dynamics.

The Limiting of the Impact of Proxy Culture Wars by Religious Sensitivity: The Fight of Neo-Pentecostal Churches against LGBTQ Rights Organizations over Uganda’s Future

Critical Remarks on the Cognitive Science of Religion

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About