SUPERSTITIONS, IDEOLOGIES, AND RELIGIONS, TOO

Konrad Talmont-Kaminski Marie Curie-Sklodowska University

Main Project

 Superstitions as a natural, cognitive phenomenon  Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research  Couldn’t avoid religion

Plan

 Boyer vs. Wilson  Supernatural by-products  Ideologies as adaptations  Religion as supernatural ideology  Utility of untestability  The ‘perfect’ religion

Contradictory, conflicting or complimentary

Pascal Boyer et all

      Cognitive by-product HADD Genetic evolution Tribal religions Causes of beliefs Problem  Distinguishing religion from other ‘supernatural’ beliefs

David Sloan Wilson

      Group adaptation Jain mystics Cultural evolution The ‘great’ religions Functions of practices Problem  Distinguishing religion from other ‘ideologies’

Supernatural as by-product

 “Cognitive science of the supernatural”  Religions  Superstitions  Etc.

 Genetic evolution of cognitive factors determining supernatural beliefs  But, there is a problem...

Superstitions unstable

 Content of supernatural beliefs underdetermined by cognitive factors  Many possible beliefs are minimally counterintuitive!

 Superstitions unstable  Most widespread superstitions no older than 150 years  Most superstitions probably individual  Stable supernatural beliefs will dominate

Ideologies as adaptations

 Group adaptation account of ideology  Religions  Political ideologies  Etc.

 Cultural evolution of belief systems  But, there is a problem...

Ideologies unstable

 Difficult to maintain people’s adherence to an ideology over time  Probably because of failure to deliver on promises  Ideologies highly unstable  Stable ideologies will dominate

Combining the accounts

Untestability Group selection Cognitive by-product

Supernatural ideology

 Cultural phenomena exapt/recruit cognitive mechanisms  Mutual support  Supernatural beliefs plausible  Help to motivate ideology  Help to motivate practices  Ideology functional  Makes beliefs functional and thereby less likely to undergo cultural drift

Practical untestability

 The ‘boy who cried wolf’ problem (McKay & Dennett 2009 forthcoming)  Beliefs that run counter to evidence are unstable  Protecting beliefs from counterevidence (Talmont Kaminski 2009 forthcoming)  Content  Invisible ghosts  Social context  Items/beliefs too sacred to investigate  Methodological context  Lack of scientific means to investigate

Utility of untestability

 Popularity of practically untestable claims  Not dependent upon their truth  Dependent upon a priori plausibility  Cognitive by-products  Traditional metaphysics!

 Dependent upon function  Group adaptation  ‘Superempirical’ beliefs best suited to have functions independent of their truth

Intelligently designed religion

 Supernatural beliefs plausible thanks to cognitive by-products  Motivated practices support in-group cooperation  Content of claims/promises hard to investigate  Religion deemed sacred to protect against investigation  Scientific development opposed to protect against investigation

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