The Mindreading Debate and the Cognitive Science of Religion

The relationship between understanding other natural minds, often labeled ‘mindreading,’ and putative understanding of the supernatural is a critical one for the dialogue centering on the cognitive science of religion (CSR). A basic tenet of much of CSR is that cognitive mechanisms that typically op...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Green, Adam (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Netherlands [2015]
In: Sophia
Year: 2015, Volume: 54, Issue: 1, Pages: 61-75
IxTheo Classification:AA Study of religion
AE Psychology of religion
Further subjects:B Mindreading
B HADD
B cognitive science of religion
B Kognitive Religionswissenschaft
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
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Summary:The relationship between understanding other natural minds, often labeled ‘mindreading,’ and putative understanding of the supernatural is a critical one for the dialogue centering on the cognitive science of religion (CSR). A basic tenet of much of CSR is that cognitive mechanisms that typically operate in the ‘natural’ domain are co-opted so as to generate representations of the extra-natural. The most important mechanisms invoked are, arguably, the ones that detect agency, represent actions, predicate beliefs and desires of others, and track social hierarchies, coalitions, and exchanges. In this essay, I show that where one lands on the interdisciplinary debate over the nature of mindreading has a significant impact on parts of CSR that invoke social cognition. I focus my essay on the case of CSR explanations of religious experiences in terms of a hyperactive agency detective device (HADD).
ISSN:1873-930X
Contains:Enthalten in: Sophia
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s11841-014-0450-0