Gods, Gains, and Genes: On the Natural Origin of Religiosity by Means of Bio-cultural Selection

Abstract

Religiosity can be characterized by seven main traits: transcendencetranscendence, ultimateultimate relatedness, mysticismmysticism, myth, moralitymorality, rite, and communitycommunity. Why is it ubiquitous today and throughout human history? It might be an evolutionary adaptationadaptation in terms of natural or sexual selectionsexual selection, and not a mere by-product byproduct of other traits or exclusively a cultural phenomenon, describable for instance, by memetics. If so, the following conditions must hold: universality, reproductive successreproductive success, heredity, realization, and selective advantage. A brief review shows that current data are consistent with the adaptation hypothesis, but not sufficient to confirm it; and there are also conceptual and empirical problems. Finally, what can evolutionary psychologyevolutionary psychology and neurotheology tell us about the three main sources of religious beliefs and whether those beliefs are true?