Is Religion What We Want? Motivation and the Cultural Transmission of Religious Representations
In: Journal of Cognition and CultureSearch for other papers by Shaun Nichols in
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Abstract
Many psychologists and philosophers have suggested that religious ideas emerge because they are motivationally attractive. This paper attempts to support a version of the motivational thesis by relying on religious creeds as a source of historical evidence. This simple source of evidence indicates that the cultural evolution of religious ideas is partly a function of the motivational attractiveness of the religious ideas.
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Is Religion What We Want? Motivation and the Cultural Transmission of Religious Representations
In: Journal of Cognition and CultureSearch for other papers by Shaun Nichols in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Many psychologists and philosophers have suggested that religious ideas emerge because they are motivationally attractive. This paper attempts to support a version of the motivational thesis by relying on religious creeds as a source of historical evidence. This simple source of evidence indicates that the cultural evolution of religious ideas is partly a function of the motivational attractiveness of the religious ideas.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 565 | 116 | 4 |
| Full Text Views | 126 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 55 | 5 | 0 |