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EXPLAINING RELIGION IN BRISTOL 2010 CONFERENCE IS RELIGION

By: Antonio Chávez
hnc.correo @ gmail.com

In early September last was held at the University of Bristol, England, the conference Explaining Religion interdisciplinary , attended by several well known figures in the field of scientific study of religion, as Thomas Lawson and Robert McCauley, both of whom institutionalized Cognitive Science of Religion, Jesse Bering, evolutionary psychologist who has just published The God Instinct ; Deborah Kelemen, whose prominent studies on child and adult teleology are reference in the field, Bruce Hood, author of SuperSense ; Ara Norenzayan, who with Scott Atran in 2004 published an article also mandatory, Christine Mohr, whom we have cited for his important work with Peter Brugger on magical thinking and dopamine, or Susan Blackmore, known for its disclosure of "memetics", she and Michael Blume developers characterized two aspects of the conference.

Our blog, specifically referring Richard Dawkins, I played very briefly on the "meme", but of a specific and critical . There just quoted Paul Harris, a psychologist also a speaker at Bristol, which has shown that children are not exactly "replicators" of the beliefs of adults. On Explaining Religion Blackmore, a strong supporter of the "meme" has come to accept the data provided by Blume, which show that religious people have more children compared to the secular, which the author suggests that religion encapsulates successful reproductive strategies, which explains why even in spite of increased of science including legal disputes over evolution vs.. creationism in the U.S., has not resulted in the disappearance of fundamentalism and religion in general, "the reason is simple ", he concludes: " evolutionary theorists gave birth to more scientific arguments - but the agents committed believers supernatural spawned many more children "(p. 125 Blume 2009). Susan Blackmore

no longer believe in the meme-viral-dawkiniana to define (and, needless to say clearly: demonize) to religion. At least he said in his article in The Guardian , Why I do not believe that religion is a virus of the mind , days after the conference. As he concludes, "this is how science works (unlike religion): the end is the data that counts ."

However, such information brought to Bristol by Blume, or McKay ' showing that religious people can be more generous, do less and be more cooperative cheating in games like prisoner's dilemma "(quoting Blackmore), plus the Bering presentation on how they are atheists and theists purpose in their lives (and his most interesting work that feeling emotional aspects that do not end with death be a specific function of social cognition and not a derivative of the Theory of Mind), the innate teleologism suggested by Kelemen studies with adults and children, or Norenzayan and promoting religious beliefs of potential cooperation between individuals, leading to the concept that all be watched by a supernatural agent actually improves the "performance" of the individual-level socio-emotional, moral and, ultimately, reproductive. It seems that more than cultural product-developmental neurobiological processes, religion may contain a directly adaptive aspect. At least not seem to fit doubts about the conduct superstitious or magical thinking improves cognitive performance in situations where there is perceived lack of control. This results in a factor that would most powerful anxiolytic in religion than in other more or less rigid system of beliefs / behaviors such as politics or sport, while unlike them, is therefore on existential issues in particular the issue " fat 'death.

However, there are also recent data showing a relationship between intolerance and the greater degree of religiosity, eg, homophobia, conservatism and racism: 2009 Whitley ; Rowatt et al. 2009 . In fact, the impression the general public in a survey of a thousand Americans, by Public Religion Research Institute is that the religious messages and the rate of suicide among gays are linked. This leads to the thought that, given the divided data, is actually religion-coding of membership and group cohesion, which gives an adaptive sense (Alcorta & Sosis 2005 ), but because I think this same may imply a behavioral complexity in which much of the outside to the "group" should be rejected. Pascal Boyer

same, perhaps the most important exponent theory of exaptation (product), as opposed to the adaptationist , religion, in his recent book The Fracture Of An Illusion (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , 2010), without deviating from his argument that religion is the result of the interaction of social functions of the brain, recognizes that some of these functions " can be interpreted as adaptations, ie, capabilities or features specifically developed to provide evidence of a functional complex and confer a potential reproductive advantage "( pp. 74-75). Such advantages have been evidenced by Blume and presented Explaining Religion and before Alcorta, Sosis and others, including Bering, have already submitted evidence to the adaptationism. In any case, as noted earlier that both theories are not mutually exclusive but complementary .

The results of this conference will again introduce the issue of whether cognitive science of religion is controversial, especially for those who want to stay on the belief that religion, generalizing without more, is essentially harmless and should be removed man. Explaining Religion forced to rethink this, if not better to abandon such claim. Moreover, surely irrelevant now that Blackmore, a psychologist still earned a PhD in parapsychology and paranormal beliefs defended and then turn to skepticism, since it is a declared atheist who eg oppose the Pope's visit to England, being so the important thing is your attitude to copy data that contradict the beliefs. In parallel, again might be suspected of "hidden agendas" while Blume is a Protestant married to a Muslim as he says. However, as in the case Barrett (psychologist, Christian) vs.. Grayling (philosopher, atheist), we stick to the book, as I said Blackmore, rather than beliefs we cherish personally. Explaining Religion While not want anything to neoateos could be taken as a flag of victory by theists.

Then again, it has to inform the reader more if they have strong convictions are religious or not, Explaining Religion tells us that God comes to birth in our head. Can still be shown that there really is a neurocognitive-coding genetic inevitably leads man to something here is not to pray to God or to believe that Jesus ascended to heaven, but to the psychological mechanisms that promote these ideas and behaviors. There is therefore now all have to show submission to the priests rid any policy or secular (often polarizing comments make reactionary non-believers), but the debate atheist / theist should turn that data. Blume is right that this is not merely talk about evolution and expect people to stop believing in God, souls and in astrology, this is nothing more than scientific understanding why people have religious beliefs.