Supernatural and Natural Selection: Religion and Evolutionary Success

by Steadman,Lyle B.

• ISBN13: 9781594515668
• ISBN10: 1594515662
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2010-02-28
• Publisher: ROUTLEDGE

Summary

Spanning many different epochs and varieties of religious experience, this book develops a new approach to religion and its role in human history. The authors look across a range of religious phenomena-from ancestor worship to totemism, shamanism, and worldwide modern religions-to offer a new explanation of the evolutionary success of religious behaviors. Their book is more empirical and verifiable than most previous books on evolution and religion because they develop an approach that removes guesswork about beliefs in the supernatural, focusing instead on the behaviors of individuals. The result is a pioneering look at how and why natural selection has favored religious behaviors throughout history. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	p. ix
Religion: What needs to be Explained?	p. 1
Previous Explanations of Religion	p. 19
Changing the Question	p. 37
In the Beginning: Ancestor Worship	p. 55
Totemism	p. 71
Myth	p. 83
Shamans	p. 103
Magic	p. 121
Divination	p. 137
Sacrifice: Voluntary Suffering	p. 149
The Killing of Witches	p. 163
Prophets and Modern Religions	p. 185
Conclusion	p. 213
References	p. 223
Index	p. 237
About the Authors	p. 253
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