How Some Major Components of Religion Could Have Evolved by Natural Selection?

Abstract

Religion is a broad concept that is difficult to define, as each definition has exceptions. As a result, it is difficult to ask how religion as a whole could have evolved by natural selectionnatural selection. An alternative is to divide religion into its components – behavior, beliefs, values, moods, and feelings. One can then ask the same question of these components individually. However, there are problems. These components of religion are composed of forms and functions but only forms which have structure can be passed across generations in DNA and evolve directly by natural selection. Therefore, in order for a component of religion to evolve by natural selection it has to contain structural design features. The chapter therefore searches for structural design features in the various components of religion. As will be seen, this is easier to do for some components of religion than for others. However, in the end all the components of religion are accounted for. The chapter also addresses the level of selection from the individualindividual to the group where natural selection could be acting. Finally, the chapter presents evidence for the counter-intuitive proposition that beliefbelief in God may have been what created many parts of the human mindmind – “gifts” as some would say.