THE STRENGTH OF RELIGION IN SOCIETY The Secularisation Debate.
Secularisation and the dual inheritance model of religion
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Transcript of Secularisation and the dual inheritance model of religion
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Secularisation and the dual inheritance model of religion
Konrad Talmont-KaminskiMarie Curie-Sklodowska U., Poland
or, why the philosophes should have read Darwin
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Line of argument
Evolution & secularisationDual inheritance accountCultural adaptationsCognitive byproductsAncestral traits
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Evolution & secularisation
Psychological & social mechanisms vital to understanding
Only provide proximate explanations
Ultimate explanations in terms of evolutionary processes
Two kinds of explanations complementary
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Evolution & secularisation
Evolutionary change not directed
Secularisation not inevitable
Genetic vs cultural evolution
Genotype+environment determine phenotype
No genetic or cultural determinism
Genetic factors generally less open to change
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Dual inheritance
Mental Mechanisms
Cognitive Byproducts
Prosocial Adaptations
Cultural Traditions
z
yq Ideologies
Magic
Genetic Evolution
Cultural Evolution
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k
See:Atran, S., Henrich, J. The Evolution of ReligionBiological Theory 5.1(2010)
* Grossly simplified version
*
Magical Ideologies
Religions z
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Magic & secularisation
Cognitive basis for magic cannot be eliminated
Rationalist critiques only destabilise individual magical B&P
Security weakens magical B&P in general
Propensity to believe in magic remains
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Ideology & secularisation
All ideologies function by misrepresenting reality
Religions make use of existing cognitive byproducts
Rationalist attitudes drive wedge between magic & religion
Improve environment for nonreligious ideologies
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Ancestral traits
Secularised societies
Stable despite weak religion
Nonreligious ideologies
Other strong social institutions
Loss of function
Genetic/cultural drift
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Aspects of secularisation
No elimination
Unstable affiliation
Weak affiliation
Loss of functionCultural drift
Cognitive basis
Secure environment
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y
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Thank you
Konrad Talmont-KaminskiIn a Mirror, Darkly: How the Supernatural Reflects Rationality (forthcoming)