CSR specific

CSR

Cognitive Science of Religion

Goals of CSR

Answering questions:

- how did religion arise?

- why is it a societal human universal?

- why do religious ideas and practices spread?

What are the effects of its practices on participants?

Disciplines integrated into CSR

- religious studies

- cognitive, cultural, evolutionary anthropology

- archeology

- cognitive & social psychology

- sociology

- philosophy

- neuroscience

- biology

- behavioral ecology

- history

Limitations of CSR

- focus on mechanisms not meaning

- reductionism causing oversimplification and biased approaches

- bias against religious beliefs

- separation of cognition & culture

Approach of CSR

Fractionation - finding aspects religion that reoccur cross-culturally to have ideas form and be consistent

Reductionism causes this to be oversimplified, but breaking down of concepts can create focus areas

Does CSR think there is such a thing as religious cognition?

Yes, central topic in CSR

- is a technical term to refer to people's thoughts and feelings about religion

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Dual process model of mental functioning - general

system 1 & system 2, differentiated by complexity and sophistication of the system

1 is quick, automatic

2 is slow, deliberate

System 1

quick, automatic, implicit

little to no reflection time given

showcases how humans often think

how the human mind shapes religious ideas and behaviors

System 2

slow, deliberate, explicit

belief proper according to CSR

reveals how the human mind interacts with culture to shape religious beliefs and behaviors

Theological correctness

layperson understanding of religion, despite the layperson still using practiced natural ideas without training or instruction

Theological incorrectness

ideas that go against religion - either in time constraints or strong emotional states

ideas that are considered "rebellious"

Teleology

everything happens for a reason - a phenomena will happen to serve a purpose, not because it is a phenomenon

Anthropomorphism

giving non-human things human-like characteristics

Folk Dualism

The concept that mind and body are two separate entities and act distinctly from each other

Proportionality bias

punishment befits the crime mentality - an eye for an eye

tendency to believe that big causes require big events

Proximate vs. Ultimate questions

Proximate: a mechanism (what is the structure of the trait) or Ontogeny (how does the trait develop in individuals)

Ultimate: phylogeny (what is the traits evolutionary history) or Adaptive significance (How have trait variations influenced fitness)

Tinbergen's 4 questions

What is the function? FUNCTION (Proximate & Contemporary)

How does it develop? ONTOGENY (Proximate & Chronological)

What is the function? ADAPTIVE SIGNIFICANCE (Ultimate & Contemporary)

What is the genetic history? PHYLOGENY (Ultimate & Chronological)