Religion and Religious Beliefs as Evolutionary Adaptations

Scholars employing an evolutionary approach to the study of religion and religious beliefs search for ultimate explanations of the origin, propagation, and persistence of religious beliefs. This quest often pairs in debate two opposing perspectives: the adaptationist and “by-product” explanations of...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Szocik, Konrad (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Wiley-Blackwell [2017]
Dans: Zygon
Année: 2017, Volume: 52, Numéro: 1, Pages: 24-52
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Théorie de l'évolution / Religion / Foi
RelBib Classification:AB Philosophie de la religion
Sujets non-standardisés:B Cultural Evolution
B Religion
B Natural Selection
B cognitive science of religion
B Evolutionary Biology
B Adaptation
Accès en ligne: Volltext (doi)
Description
Résumé:Scholars employing an evolutionary approach to the study of religion and religious beliefs search for ultimate explanations of the origin, propagation, and persistence of religious beliefs. This quest often pairs in debate two opposing perspectives: the adaptationist and “by-product” explanations of religion and religious beliefs. The majority of scholars prefer the by-product approach, which is agnostic and even doubtful of the usefulness of religious beliefs. Despite this pervasive negativity, it seems unwarranted to deny the great usefulness of religious beliefs—particularly concerning their past utility. Instead, adaptationist explanations of religion and religious beliefs must be re-established as interesting and useful approaches to the study of religious beliefs.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contient:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/zygo.12324