Religiosity and dogmatism
We’ve all seen it: religious extremists with signs protesting a seemingly innocuous event. Or perhaps hardcore believers dogmatically arguing with someone about religion. But are […]
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Born into religion
It is often taken for granted that children will just inherit the religion of their parents. Clearly, it seems, nurture trumps nature in terms of […]
Prominent skeptic: Religion may be adaptive after all
In the nine years since the radical Islamist terrorist attacks on the U.S. of September 11th, 2001, plenty of scholars and researchers have trained their […]
Religion is a celebration of excellence: Review of – ‘Born Rich’
One of the major theories of religion advanced in the 19th century, most particularly by Nietzsche, is that it is fueled by envy, fear, and […]
Ann Taves’s Religious Experience Reconsidered
For those of us who view some features or aspects of religion (such as ritual or religious experience) as adaptive, their sui generis character presents […]
Bruya’s Effortless Attention
Everyone has experiences of being “in the zone.” These usually occur while engaged in some challenging but enjoyable activity, like playing basketball or ballroom dancing. […]
Biocultural models of the evolution of religion need to take onboard – The sacral or divine kingship’
Most accounts of the evolutionary origins of religion refer to the shamanistic complex of behaviors as the first set of behaviors that were recognizably – religious’. […]
Conservative emotional avoidance
Do liberals and conservatives really see the world differently? Maybe it’s more like they feel it differently. Recent research (e.g., Tomkins 1995) has suggested that […]
Is atheism linked to intelligence?
Not so long ago experts predicted the imminent collapse of religion in modern western culture. Religion – often synonymous in these discussions with superstition, magic, […]
Self-transcendence enhanced by removal of portions of the parietal-occipital cortex
For many years, research has pointed to specific neural pathways as the presumed locus of spiritual thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Famously, studies have shown similar […]