Description
The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Religion offers a comprehensive and compelling review of research in religious beliefs and practices from an evolutionary perspective on human psychology. The chapters, written by renowned experts on human behavior and religion, explore a number of subtopics within one of three themes: (1) the psychological mechanisms of religion, (2) evolutionary perspectives on the functionality of religion, and (3) evolutionary perspectives on religion and group living.This handbook unites the theoretical and empirical work of leading scholars in the evolutionary, cognitive, and anthropological sciences to produce an extensive and authoritative review of this literature. Its interdisciplinary approach makes it an important resource for a broad spectrum of researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates who are interested in studying the factors and mechanisms that underlie and/or affect religious beliefs and behaviors.
Table of Contents
1. An Introduction to Evolutionary Perspectives on ReligionJames R. Liddle and Todd K. Shackelford2. Mickey, Yahweh, and Zeus: Why Cultural Learning Is Essential for theEvolutionary Study of ReligionWill M. Gervais3. The Diversity of Religious Systems across History: An EvolutionaryCognitive ApproachPascal Boyer and Nicolas Baumard4. Religion as Anthropomorphism: A Cognitive TheoryStewart Elliott Guthrie5. Evolutionary Developmental Psychology of Children's ReligiousBeliefsTyler S. Greenway and Justin L. Barrett6. Belief, Ritual, and the Evolution of ReligionMatt J. Rossano, Benjamin Vandewalle7. Adolescence and Religion: An Evolutionary PerspectiveCandace S. Alcorta8. Religion and Morality: The Evolution of the Cognitive NexusJohn Teehan9. The Kin Selection of ReligionBernard Crespi10. The Coevolution of Religious Belief and Intuitive Cognitive Style viaIndividual-Level SelectionMichael N. Stagnaro and David G. Rand11. The Early Origin of Religion: Its Role as a Survival KitKenneth Kardong12. The Elephant in the Pews: Reproductive Strategy and ReligiosityJason Weeden, Robert Kurzban, and Douglas T. Kenrick13. Religion: An Evolutionary Evoked Disease-Avoidance StrategyJohn A. Terrizzi Jr. and Natalie J. Shook14. Religion as a Means of Perceived Security: Testing the Secure SocietyTheoryJames R. Liddle15. Charismatic Signaling: How Religion Stabilizes Cooperation andEntrenches InequalityJohn H. Shaver, Gloria Fraser, and Joseph Bulbulia16. The Evolution of Religion and MoralityAzim Shariff and Brett Mercier17. The Roots of Intergroup Conflict and the Co-optation of the ReligiousSystem: An Evolutionary Perspective on Religious TerrorismJordan Kiper and Richard Sosis18. Selected to Kill in His Name: Evolutionary Perspectives on ReligiouslyMotivated ViolenceYael Sela and Nicole Barbaro19. Supernatural Beliefs and the Evolution of CooperationPierrick Bourrat and Hugo Viciana20. A Socio-Evolutionary Approach to Religious ChangeRyan T. Cragun and J. E. Sumerau21. The Evolution and Exploitation of TranscendenceGregory Gorelik22. Challenges to an Evolutionary Perspective on ReligionBenjamin Beit-HallahmiIndex
