Some issues concerning applications of naturalistic paradigm to the study of religion
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Published:
Jan 24, 2014
Keywords:
universal Darwinism cultural evolution adaptation byproduct memetics cognitive schema
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Abstract
Viewing religion as a product of evolution already has yielded a new and interesting hypotheses, which could help to integrate entire heritage of scientific study of religion. Nonetheless, there are some objections toward this program. First, despite the fact that evolutionary theories of religion are inherently interdisciplinary, its integration with sociological, anthropological and historical studies should be improve in the future. Second, phenomenological descriptions (that is individual religious experiences) are neglected by Darwinians. This fact could negatively affects explanatory potential of this approach. Finally, opponents of analyzed paradigm state that evolutionary hypotheses have still low level of confirmation. It stems from a small number of conducted empirical investigations on evolutionary roots of religion. Nevertheless, application of Darwinian tools to the study of religion remains a very promising scientific venture.
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Kowalczyk-Purol, K. (2014). Some issues concerning applications of naturalistic paradigm to the study of religion. Philosophical Problems in Science (Zagadnienia Filozoficzne W Nauce), (54), 39–77. Retrieved from https://zfn.edu.pl/index.php/zfn/article/view/45
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References
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Wilson E.O. (1975), Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, Belknap Press, Harvard.
Wilson E.O. (2004), On Human Nature, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Wulff D.M. (1999), Psychologia religii. Klasyczna i współczesna, WSiP, Warszawa.
Anderson Thomson J., Aukofer C. (2011), Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith, Pitchstone Publishing, Charlottesville.
Atran S., Henrich J. (2010), The Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition Generate Deep Commitments to Prosocial Religions, “Biological Theory”, vol. 5, no. 1.
Blackmore S. (2000), The Mem Machine, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Boyer P. (1994), The Naturalness of Religious Ideas: A Cognitive Theory of Religion, University of California Press, Berkeley.
Boyer P., Bergstrom B. (2008), Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion, “Annual Review of Anthropology”, vol. 37.
Brockman J. (1996), The Third Culture: Beyond the Scientific Revolution, Touchstone, New York.
Buller D.J. (2009), Psychologia ewolucyjna w stylu pop, “Świat Nauki”, vol. 210, no. 2.
Confer J.C. et al. (2010), Evolutionary Psychology: Controversies, Questions, Prospects, and Limitations, “American Psychologits”, vol. 65, no. 2.
Cziko G. (1995), Without Miracles: Universal Selection Theory and the Second Darwinian Revolution, The MIT Press, Cambridge.
Dawkins R. (1993), Viruses of the Mind, [in:] Dennett and His Critics: Demystifying Mind, ed. B. Dahlbom, Blackwell, Cambridge.
Dawkins R. (2004), What Use Is Religion? Part 2, „Free Inquiry”, vol. 24, no. 5. [Online: www.secularhumanism.org/index.php ?section=library&page=dawkins_24_5].
Dawkins R. (2006), The Selfish Gene, Oxford University Press, New York.
Dennett D.C. (1996), Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, The Penguin Press, New York.
Dennett D.C. (2007), Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, Penguin Books, New York.
Distin K. (2005), The Selfish Meme: A Critical Reassessment, Cambridge University Press, New York.
Fetchenhauer D. (2009), Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion – What They Can and What They Cannot Explain (Yet), [in:] The Biological Evolution of Religious Mind and Behavior, eds. E. Voland, W. Schiefenhövel, Springer, Berlin.
Gell-Mann M. (1995), The Quark and the Jaguar: Adventures in the Simple and the Complex, St. Martin’s Griffin, New York.
Grzymała-Moszczyńska H. (2004), Religia a kultura. Wybrane zagadnienia z kulturowej psychologii religii, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków.
Guthrie S. (2008), Spiritual Beings: A Darwinian, Cognitive Account, [in:] The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories & Critiques, eds. J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris et al., Collins Foundation Press, Santa Margarita.
Laland K., Kendal J., Brown G.R. (2007), The Niche Construction Perspective: Implications for Evolution and Human Behaviour, “Journal of Evolutionary Psychology”, no. 5.
Martin L.H. (2008), Can Religion Really Evolve? (And What It Is Anyway?), [in:] The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories & Critiques, eds. J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris et al., Collins Foundation Press, Santa Margarita.
Mayr E. (2001), This Is Biology: The Science of the Living World, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
McIntosh D.N. (1995), Religion-as-Schema, With Implications for the Relation between Religion and Coping, “The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion”, vol. 5, no. 1.
Motak D. (2005), Religia w perspektywie antropologii kognitywnej, [in:] Religioznawstwo polskie w XXI wieku, ed. Z. Stachowski, Wydawnictwo PTR, Tyczyn.
Nowaczyk M. (1989), Ewolucjonizm kulturowy a religia, PWN, Warszawa.
Piątek Z. (2007), Pawi ogon czyli o biologicznych uwarunkowaniach kultury, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków.
Richerson P.J., Newson L. (2008), Is Religion Adaptive? Yes, No, Neutral, but Mostly, We Don’t Know, [in:] The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories & Critiques, eds. J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris et al., Collins Foundation Press, Santa Margarita.
Saver J.L., Rabin J. (1997), The Neural Substrates of Religious Experience, “Journal of Neuropsychiatry”, vol. 9, no. 3.
Smith Z., Arrow H. (2010), Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion: An Overview and Synthesis, „The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium”, vol. 2, no. 2.
Smolin L. (1999), The Life of the Cosmos, Oxford University Press, New York.
Sosis R. (2004), The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual: Rituals Promote Group Cohesion by Requiring Members to Engage in Behavior That Is Too Costly to Fake, “American Scientist”, vol. 92, no. 2.
Sosis R. (2008), Pigeons, Foxholes, and the Book of Psalms, [in:] The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories & Critiques, eds. J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris et al., Collins Foundation Press, Santa Margarita.
Sosis R., Alcorta C. (2008), Militants and Martyrs: Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion and Terrorism, [in:] Natural Security: A Darwinian Approach to a Dangerous World, eds. R. Sagarin, T. Taylor, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles.
Sztajer S. (2007), Religia w świetle nauk kognitywnych, “Przegląd Religioznawczy”, vol. 223, no. 1.
Szyjewski A. (2003), O genezie religii raz jeszcze, [in:] Religioznawstwo polskie w XXI wieku, ed. Z. Stachowski, Wydawnictwo PTR, Tyczyn.
Szyjewski A. (2007), Rozbite kubki po dekonstrukcji: współczesne antropologiczne teorie religii, “Studia Religiologica”, vol. 40.
Szyjewski A. (2008), Etnologia religii, Nomos, Kraków.
Von Sydow M. (2012), From Darwinian Metaphysics towards Understanding the Evolution of Evolutionary Mechanisms: A Historical and Philosophical Analysis of Gene-Darwinism and Universal Darwinism, Universitätsverlag Göttingen, Göttingen.
Wężowicz-Ziółkowska D. (2008), Moc narrativum. Idee biologii we współczesnym dyskursie humanistycznym, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, Katowice.
Wilson D.S. (2008), Evolution and Religion: The Transformation of the Obvious, [in:] The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories & Critiques, eds. J. Bulbulia, R. Sosis, E. Harris et al., Collins Foundation Press, Santa Margarita.
Wilson D.S., Green W.S. (2007), Evolutionary Religious Studies (ERS): A Beginner’s Guide, http://evolution.binghamton.edu/ religion/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/BeginnersGuide.pdf.
Wilson E.O. (1975), Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, Belknap Press, Harvard.
Wilson E.O. (2004), On Human Nature, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Wulff D.M. (1999), Psychologia religii. Klasyczna i współczesna, WSiP, Warszawa.