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Posted by: Michaelm ( )
Date: May 10, 2011 08:35AM
Evolution and religion

Has this been discussed on RFM?

Cognitive Science of Religion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_science_of_religion

"Scholars in this field seek to explain how human minds acquire, generate, and transmit religion by means of ordinary cognitive capacities."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2011 09:45AM by Hoggle.

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Posted by: Just Thinking ( )
Date: May 10, 2011 09:56AM
Evolution and religion

I'd like to hear someone weigh in who has insight in this area.

Am presently reading "The God Virus: How religion infects our lives and culture" and am finding it absolutely fascinating. It explores the development of religious 'memes' as inheritable entities that go a long ways towards explaining the hold religion has on our lives. If you want to know why it takes to long to 'recover' from Mormonism this is the book for you.
Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/God-Virus-religion-infects-culture/dp/0970950519/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305035070&sr=1-1

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Posted by: Michaelm ( )
Date: May 10, 2011 10:41AM
Re: Evolution and religion

Thanks, I'd like to hear more about this too. Just found out about it recently.

About 20 years ago I read "Origins, The Emergence and Evolution of Our Species and Its Possible Future", by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin. I liked it because it suggested that positive social behavior and morality were evolved traits.

It looks like the studies in Cognitive Science and Religion came out after that. Anyone have any insight in this?

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Posted by: Puli ( )
Date: May 10, 2011 11:23AM
Robert Wright's book "The Evolution of God"

I read large sections of this book and found it interesting and enlightening. Wright discusses how societies acquire Gods and then pair them down mostly for the consolidation of political power and control.

Imo, the 'Cognitive Science of Religion' is a more than valid field of study. Religion is a part of culture passed on from one generation to the next as tradition. In the process, religion changes and morphs as well as provide impetus for change just as other aspects of culture do.

http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-God-Back-Readers-Pick/dp/031606744X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305040595&sr=1-1

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Posted by: nebularry ( )
Date: May 10, 2011 12:06PM
My recommendations

"Religion Explained" by Pascal Boyer
"The Supernatural and Natural Selection" by Steadman & Palmer
"Minds and God" by Todd Tremlin

Good reading to you.

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