Religions as complex adaptive systems : The evolutionary paths of religious beliefs and behaviors
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| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The study of religions and similarly complex cultural phenomena was traditionally conducted by scholars in the humanities and social sciences; however, in the past 30 years, the field of religious studies experienced an exponential growth of evolutionarily and cognitively oriented approaches, which significantly broadened the toolkit for studying religions. Harnessing this interdisciplinary toolkit, scholars can now study religions as complex adaptive systems and focus their investigations on various levels of complexity of the studied phenomena, from particular mechanisms and their functional connections to the workings of the whole system in its cultural niche. Moreover, adding the evolutionary dimension to the investigated phenomena can further elucidate the origins and development of religious systems, allowing for mutual corroboration of theories between various complexity levels. In this talk, I will illustrate the complex-adaptive-systems approach by examining the evolutionary paths of various aspects of religious behaviors and beliefs, focusing mainly on their adaptive functions in facilitating cooperation, coordination, and group cohesion. In support, I will present evidence from laboratory experiments, field studies, and ethnographic databases. |
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