How did religion evolve?

[Sententia]

Great article: Religion is a product of evolution, software suggests - being-human - 27 May 2008 - New Scientist

"Sometime between 100,000 years ago to the point where writing was invented, maybe about 7000 BC, we begin to have records of people's supernatural beliefs," Dow says.

Quite interesting.

 

[Willamena]

I'd wager that's only because before then people didn't keep record of anything.

 

[Sententia]

I'd wager that's only because before then people didn't keep record of anything.

Yeah... but more interesting is the small number of people who have a genetic predisposition to communicate unverifiable information to others.

Even more so is that others are attracted to such people.

 

[Father Heathen]

I'm sure tribes had some form of oral tradition before the invent of writing. Religion was born of our fear and ignorance of the world around us and of our imagination to bring us solace and answers. And as time went on such beliefs became more elaborate and complex.

 

[Dunemeister]

I'm sure tribes had some form of oral tradition before the invent of writing. Religion was born of our fear and ignorance of the world around us and of our imagination to bring us solace and answers. And as time went on such beliefs became more elaborate and complex.

Ignorance and fear? Could those be the only motivators? Why not knowledge and courage? I can imagine that those things might spawn religions, too. And what about wonder (awe) and actual experience of deity (or deities)? In other words, religions aren't always about "explaining" stuff. They might also be about organizing our experience or about establishing a decent way of life (under the terms of the religion, of course).

 

[Sunstone]

I figure religion was an "unintended" side-effect of other traits. It's a spandrel.

 

[Troublemane]

Another interesting thing that occurs in chimps and humans, is the appearance of a dominant leader-type who seems capable of organizing others of the species into a group that functions cohesively as a unit. If the argument is primarily that anything that supports this unity (and also adds to the dominant leader-type's influence) adds to the evolutionary "edge" over other species/groups, then Yeah! I would have to agree, religion can (and does) do this very well!

Also, it may be speculated, a faculty for spiritual experience/shamanic communication with the Otherworld may be evolutionarily advantageous, since those who could interact with the spirit realm would undoubtedly be more valuable to the community, even those who were extremely power-hungry may have been smart enough to realize that

 

[logician]

Religion is used as a means of gaining power and a social control even today, there is no reason to think that those reasons didn't come into play any time a new religious cult was invented in the past.

 

[Troublemane]

...ya that occurred to me too, that most of the "old time" religions were extensions of the state, with the ruler acting as both spiritual and temporal leader. religion could certainly be considered an evolutionary filter, back in the day when genocide was considered a sacred act.

 

[Sententia]

Religion is used as a means of gaining power and a social control even today, there is no reason to think that those reasons didn't come into play any time a new religious cult was invented in the past.

But I think the article is showing what early conscious man would have had to gain. Supernatural beliefs are common of course and could explain it but perhaps not.

People do seem to be drawn to people who babble intelligently about things that could never be verified. People love stories. God appeared to me last night in a dream, this mornings toast had the image of mary emblazoned upon it, the devil came down from georgia and he was looking for a soul...

etc etc...

So while somepeople are genetically predisposed to spread nonsense there are even more who want to hear that nonsense. etc.

 

[logician]

But I think the article is showing what early conscious man would have had to gain..

Power and social control would have been important even in primitive societies - saying a god will klll you if you don't do this or that is a very effective means of social control.

 

[Sententia]

Power and social control would have been important even in primitive societies - saying a god will klll you if you don't do this or that is a very effective means of social control.

I agree buts it seems like an evolved concept. At first the result of stating a belief in the supernatural may have to have been explored. But either is plausible.

Religion is very interesting.

 

[lilithu]

Religion was born of our fear and ignorance of the world around us and of our imagination to bring us solace and answers. And as time went on such beliefs became more elaborate and complex.

Ignorance and fear? Could those be the only motivators?

Yeah, that was my initial reaction too, but then he also said imagination.

And what about wonder (awe) and actual experience of deity (or deities)? In other words, religions aren't always about "explaining" stuff.

For people who haven't experienced this, religion is about ideas - explaining stuff and making rules. And I don't just mean atheists. There are theists too for which religion is just about ideas. I think if you haven't personally experienced the numinous, it would be hard to remember this as a possibility.

 

[Ulver]

Religion, based on my studies seems to be a spandrel from the evolution of man's mental capabilities. The source of religion is in the religious experience, which seems to be best understood as images/sensations the brain creates that are not actually present (This is easy to test on yourself by sense deprivation or over-exposure). Humans then take these images/experiences and use them , through their own cultural interpretation, as a source for identification. Identification is socially used for the evolutionary advantages of ingroup cohesion and outgroup hostility.

To me that sums it up.

For a list of texts, here are some:

David Sloan Wilson- Darwin's Cathedral
David Lewis-Williams- The Mind in the Cave
Kevin Seybold- Explorations in Neuroscience, Psychology and Religion: Ch. 6 Brain and Religion
Scott Atran & Ara Norenzayan- Religion's evolutionary landscape: Counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communion
Pascal Boyer- Why Do Gods and Spirits Matter at All
Lee A. Kirkpatrick- Attachment, Evolution, and the Psychology of Religion: Ch 2 & 3
Stewart Guthrie- Animal Animism: Evolutionary Roots of Religious Cognition

 

[zenzero]

The day human mind evolved to understand exiztence as a seperate identity the same moment religion too strted to evolve.
Love & rgds

 

[Sententia]

The day human mind evolved to understand exiztence as a seperate identity the same moment religion too strted to evolve.
Love & rgds

?? Your putting the evolution of religion on the seperation of the left and right conscious minds? That seems odd. The fact that humans believe their existance is seperate from their physical form is most likely due to that error of perception and nothing more.

 

[Willamena]

The day human mind evolved to understand exiztence as a seperate identity the same moment religion too strted to evolve.
Love & rgds

That I can believe.

 

[Sententia]

That I can believe.

What proof is offered that when your physical form dies you persist in any conscious way? YouTube - Extian (The Verse from Atheist Nation Pt III)

 

[lilithu]

?? Your putting the evolution of religion on the seperation of the left and right conscious minds? That seems odd. The fact that humans believe their existance is seperate from their physical form is most likely due to that error of perception and nothing more.

He didn't say separate from their physical form. He said separate existence, ie - separate from everything.

That I can believe.

Me too.

 

[Sententia]

He didn't say separate from their physical form. He said separate existence, ie - separate from everything.

??

We exist outside of our brains and bodies? This is amazing!

You totally need to write to scientific american and get this published. We are immortals baby! This human form is nada and the whole impregnation, gestation and birth thing and all that aging and living in between... hahaha... Illusison.

You think thats air your breathing?

Classic. I really can't believe this. Expand on this ground breaking discovery for me? I am awaiting with bated breath.