Breaking the Spell: Reconsidering Cognitive and Evolutionary Approaches to Atheism
The scientific study of nonreligion has been described as being ‘under the spell’ of religion because the vast majority of research investigates nonbelief in respect to belief. This has resulted in a number of problematic theories, including the leading cognitive science of religion (CSR) theory tha...
Authors: | ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Published: |
Brill
[2020]
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In: |
Method & theory in the study of religion
Year: 2020, Volume: 32, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 299-327 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Kognitive Religionswissenschaft
/ Atheism
/ Irreligiosity
/ Agnosticism
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IxTheo Classification: | AA Study of religion AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism |
Further subjects: | B
Atheism
B Nonreligion B Unbelief B Theory B Evolutionary B Cognitive |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | The scientific study of nonreligion has been described as being ‘under the spell’ of religion because the vast majority of research investigates nonbelief in respect to belief. This has resulted in a number of problematic theories, including the leading cognitive science of religion (CSR) theory that claims that religious belief is innate, and so to be a nonbeliever is to violate cognitive predispositions. This article critically analyzes innateness theories and encourages the development of further theories that incorporate social, adaptive, cultural, evolutionary, and biological factors in addition to cognitive contributors. This article details the roles of adaptive and functional aspects of nonbelief, the influence of credibility enhancing displays (CREDs), and the influence of cultural context on nonbelief as they are not sufficiently explained by CSR theories. It is proposed that future theories study nonreligion in its own right, instead of respective to religion, so that a broader range of unique characteristics can be accounted for without inaccurately and inadequately phrasing theories in terms of naturalness. |
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ISSN: | 1570-0682 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Method & theory in the study of religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700682-12341501 |