Science Of Religion Research Articles

How to Bridge Cognitive and Cultural Models of Religious Evolution

The scientific study of religion has roots in at least two traditions: a cognitive tradition which typically uses experimental studies to examine the proximal psychological processes underlying religious belief and ritual, and an anthropological tradition which uses historical and ethnographic data to examine how religious systems culturally evolve in social groups. In Religion Evolving, Purzycki and Sosis bridge both traditions and encourage a more integrated evolutionary science of religion. In this essay, I present three suggestions for how to make this science as ambitious and collaborative as possible. These suggestions are: (1) to move beyond straw man debates that pit byproduct models against functional models of religious evolution and acknowledge that these models are compatible from a dual inheritance perspective, (2) to evaluate functionalist claims with caution, recognizing how and when religion is adaptive vs. maladaptive for secular society, and (3) to avoid reductive definitions of religion and embrace religious pluralism. With these lessons in mind, we can usher in a bolder evolutionary science of religion that draws from both cognitive and cultural traditions.

Resilience and Consilience in the Science of Religion(s)

Resilience and Consilience in the Science of Religion(s)

Political interpretation of social processeschanged reality: political-values aspect

The article analyzes transformational political, ideological and sociocultural processes occurring in a constantly changing reality. The basic values of democracy, emerging contradictions and conflicts, relations between the state and the church, etc., which largely determine future social processes, are studied. It talks, in particular, about human rights as a new type of political and legal culture and ideology, which is aimed at «preserving the people» (more precisely, their identity and cultural originality), as well as what violations they are subject to, and how they can be resolved pending difficulties. Issues of state-confessional relations, which involve a comparative solution to the problem of realizing the interests of society and each of its layers, have become the subject of the political science of religion described in the article, which considers this socio-cultural phenomenon as one of the main environments for political socialization, i.e. formation of political attitudes and values of individuals and groups; and also to create a democratic climate, social work, global diasporas. Religious organizations are considered by this applied subdiscipline as elements of the institutional subsystem of society (along with the party system and the media), especially due to their ability to influence the government and politicians. Based on recent political science and sociological research, it shows the interrelation and interdependence of social processes with political and, especially, geopolitical realities, rich in various significant political events — a terrorist attack, the Northern Military District, the election of the President of the Russian Federation, his subsequent inauguration on May 7, the Victory Parade and related him the procession of the Immortal Regiment and many others. An interpretation of these events is given from a political science point of view.

Огюст Конт и режим Второй империи

The article analyzes the doctrine of the late Comte in his attitude to the Bona­partist regime. Although Comte experienced a short-term fascination with Napoleon’s personality in his youth, from the Restoration period he spoke of the empire in a negative way. At the same time, the coming to power of Louis Bonaparte seemed to him a favorable omen for the fate of positivism. Through public lectures on the philosophy of human history allowed by the new regime, he set the task of influencing public opinion. The Bonapartist coup met the full approval from the founder of positivism, and he did not renounce this kind of as­sessment even later. The transformation of republican power seemed inevitable to him: from parliamentarism to dictatorship. In this regard the dictatorship was conceived as a transitional stage to a true positivist regime. The idea of centra­lizing power impressed Comte, so he interpreted the coup as a logical conse­quence of the entire previous history of France. This was more than an episode. But then the philosopher became disappointed with Bonapartist politics. The presi­dent proclaimed an empire, which, in the opinion of the philosopher, acted only as a metamorphosis of an obsolete monarchical principle. But Comte did not refuse to adhere to the “republican dictatorship”, he spoke of the need for a posi­tivist triumvirate to come to power, personally outlined by him. He assigned himself the role of a spiritual mentor of secular power, the high priest of the new, scientific religion of Mankind. Both the philosopher and the emperor saw their mission as helping to end the era of revolutions. But the ways of its implementa­tion were thought so differently that there was no way to synchronize the two political positions

Gods of Participation

This paper is a theoretical discussion of how the relation between religion and morality – one of the main research areas in the cognitive and evolutionary sciences of religion (CESR) – may be rephrased in terms of 4E cognition. This aim is realized through redefining morality and religion in terms of participatory sense-making – a model of social cognition situated within the 4E framework. This paper explains the basic tenets of the 4E (embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive) approach to cognition. It clarifies how the notion of mental representations – pivotal for any theorizing within CESR – can be fitted within this model by adopting a radical enactive cognition view. It then proceeds to define participatory sense-making and demonstrate how morality as a system for regulating cooperative behavior fits this concept. Finally, it discusses the role of representations of gods’ moral concerns in reinforcing morality. It argues that focusing on the meaning-making potential of social interactions can elucidate where these representations come from and how they unfold.

New Developments in the Cognitive Science of Religion: The Rationality of Religious Belief, by Hans van Eyghen, Rik Peels, and Gijsbert van den Brink

New Developments in the Cognitive Science of Religion: The Rationality of Religious Belief, by Hans van Eyghen, Rik Peels, and Gijsbert van den Brink. Springer. 2018. New Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion 4. i–vii + 220pp. $139.99. ISBN: 978-3-319-90238-8.

Imagining the Cognitive Science of Religion: Magic Bullets, Complex Theories, Experimental Adventures, by E. Thomas Lawson

Imagining the Cognitive Science of Religion: Magic Bullets, Complex Theories, Experimental Adventures, by E. Thomas Lawson. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023. Scientific Studies of Religion Inquiry and Explanation. 184 pp. $21.56. ISBN: 9781350355880

Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living, by Dimitris Xygalatas

Dimitris Xygalatas is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist interested in religion, ritual, music, and sports fanship among other topics. Xygalatas’s book Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living (Profile Books, 2022; henceforth Ritual) results from years of rigorous ethnographic and experimental work. Ritual follows the perspective of the cognitive and evolutionary science of religion (hereafter referred to as CESR) and brings the reader up-to-date findings in the naturalistic study of religion and rituals. Xygalatas follows a neo-Darwinian and functionalistic approach to the study of religion, whose theoretical premises he describes in a way that is accessible even to the lay public throughout the book, but mainly in its second chapter.

Home, History, and the Postsecular: A Literary–Religious Inquiry of Disgrace

In J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace, the postsecular emerges as a critical framework to understand the characters’ search for home amidst the remnants of South Africa’s colonial legacy. This essay proposes an exploration of how the novel’s engagement with the postsecular scriptures and moments offers a nuanced perspective on the religious impulse within the literary form. I focus on the protagonist, Lurie, whose journey from a sexual scandal to a commitment to animal welfare symbolizes a broader quest for redemption and atonement. Contrasting Lurie’s postsecular odyssey is his daughter Lucy’s steadfast attachment to her farm, which becomes a battleground for historical racial tensions. Through a mythological critical approach, I interpret Lucy’s experience as a contemporary iteration of the scapegoat, embodying the sacrificial role in a society seeking reconciliation and healing. My analysis extends to the novel’s esthetic and ethical dimensions, examining how Coetzee’s narrative challenges and reframes traditional religious narratives. By situating my discussion within the fields of the sciences of religions, theology, and mythology, I contribute to the understanding of literature as a vital medium for engaging with religious and theological themes. The essay concludes with a reflection on the implications of Coetzee’s postsecular discourse for the individual’s search for home and belonging in a post-apartheid context.

«Постсекулярное»: возобновление дискуссии

The article outlines the idea of “postsecularity,” which has already become traditional in certain areas of religious studies and sociology of religion. On the one hand, it is contested within other research areas, and on the other hand, has not led to the creation of a clear and consistent theory, although it has become very popular in public discussion. In defending his position, the author refers both to his own works on the topic and to a large corpus of texts that to one degree or another touch upon the “post-secular thesis”, including studies devoted to the concepts of “secular” and “religion” in the aspect of their rethinking in modern times. Secularism, understood as an ideology and quasi-religion, and its fate in the modern world are discussed. It is argued that classical European secularization has now ended due to the fact that secularism as a global civilizational project has failed not only in non-Western contexts, but also in zones of active secularization, which took place in European contexts, albeit in different forms – both the ghettoization of religion (in the European West), and the atheism of the entire society (as in countries where the socialist project was being implemented). The new post-secular situation is characterized as the return of religion/religiosity not only to the public sphere, but also to the Lebenswelt of individuals who actualize various forms of religiosity, including the so-called spirituality. Thus, contrary to the standard thesis about secularization, which assumes a decline in people’s religiosity, the modern world demonstrates its new forms, not necessarily associated with long, dominant religious traditions and organizations. The author believes that the concept of a “true believer” as the most conscious, informed and religiously active individual, which has become standard in the science of religion, should be discarded, given that religiosity manifests itself in a variety of forms, far from such rigoristic interpretations. The author’s final thought is that in the current situation, the modern European description (understanding) of religion can no longer be a prescription for religion, that is, a requirement addressed to it, which is one of the aspects of the “post-secular turn”.

Using Large‐Scale Location Data to Examine Racial Diversity and Segregation in Church Attendees’ Home Neighborhoods

AbstractThe racial diversity of churches has been a longstanding topic of interest in the social science of religion. Studies have historically found low levels of racial diversity within churches—but some evidence suggests that diversification is increasing. However, past research has not addressed racial segregation in another significant setting: church attendees’ home neighborhoods. Our article illustrates how large‐scale location data collected from smartphones can estimate the average racial demographics of where church attendees live. Our findings show that church attendees in Omaha, Nebraska—especially those attending Evangelical Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Mainline Protestant churches—live in more homogenously white census blocks than the average census block in the city.

Data Over Dogma: A Brief Introduction to Experimental Philosophy of Religion

AbstractExperimental philosophy of religion is the project of taking the tools and resources of the human sciences—especially psychology and cognitive science—and bringing them to bear on issues within philosophy of religion toward explicit philosophical ends. This paper introduces readers to experimental philosophy of religion. §2 explores the contours of experimental philosophy of religion by contrasting it with a few related fields: the psychology of religion and cognitive science of religion, on the one hand, and natural theology, on the other. §3 offers a brief history of experimental philosophy of religion. The goal in this section is to highlight the ancient pedigree of this emerging area of research; as the contemporary experimental philosophy of religion literature expands and proliferates, it's important to remember that this field has deep historical roots. Then, §4 focuses on the following questions: Why should we care about experimental philosophy of religion? And why is it needed?

Studying the Religious Mind: Methodology in the Cognitive Science of Religion

Studying the Religious Mind: Methodology in the Cognitive Science of Religion

Gaussian filter and fuzzy filter based historical document with geodesic morphology

The technique of image restoration involves recovering an image from a damaged state, typically a distorted and noisy image. In image processing image restoration is a core issues. This paper based on historical documents and these are discovered by archaeologist. Important information about the tradition, religion science, literature. In this Paper, we will use the geodesic morphological model with the fuzzy filter for the purpose of historical document restoration and compare them on the basis of various performance parameters.

Recent empirical work on religious experience: New directions

AbstractNovel developments in neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology have spawned a thriving empirical literature on religious experience. Previous literature in the cognitive science of religion has largely ignored empirical results from these fields, focusing narrowly on results from evolutionary psychology. Additionally, it has ignored the epistemological relevance of non‐paradigmatic cases of religious experience discussed in the literature from these subspecialties. In this article I submit that philosophical research on religious experience should take empirical work outside of evolutionary psychology as its primary foci towards uncovering fresh perspectives. I focus on three different literatures from neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology as case studies for generating novel philosophical research. I show that empirically‐discovered factors related to non‐paradigmatic religious experiences raise crucial and unique epistemological questions.

Juqu Mengxun’s Buddhism-Politics System Drawing on the Kushan Empire: A Case Study of Mogao Cave 275 in Dunhuang, China

The research provides an in-depth analysis of the precious artifacts in Dunhuang Mogao Cave 275, as well as the literature and Mahayana scriptures related, from the Political Science of Religion (PSR) perspective, aiming to discuss the history that Juqu Mengxun tried to make Northern Liang a Kushan-style Mahayana regime. According to the findings, Mahayana, whose teachings were used by Juqu Mengxun to consolidate his political status, had a considerable influence on Northern Liang’s political pattern, cultural expression, and social structure. The research demonstrates the profound influence of Mahayana on the Northern Liang community and reflects Juqu Mengxun’s deep insight into and strategic use of Mahayana. The achievement of this research is expected to provide a new clue for the community to explore Buddhism and the political dynamics on the ancient Silk Road.

Non-belief as self-deception?

Abstract The suppression thesis is the theological claim that theistic non-belief results from culpable mistreatment of one's knowledge of God or one's evidence for God. The thesis is a traditional one but unpopular today. This article examines whether it can gain new credibility from the philosophy of self-deception and from the cognitive science of religion. The thesis is analysed in terms of the intentionalist and the non-intentionalist model of self-deception. The first proposed model views non-belief as intentional suppression of one's implicit knowledge of God. It is less feasible psychologically but has a good theological fit with Paul's and Calvin's versions of the thesis. This model also helps the argument for the culpability of non-belief. The second model views suppression as a process of subconscious motivated reasoning driven by a desire to avoid an uncomfortable truth. It fits Pascal's view that one's desire for or against God determines whether one sees general revelation as providing sufficient evidence for God. There is some empirical and anecdotal evidence for both models, but obvious cases of non-resistant non-belief present a major problem for the suppression thesis. Also, it is hard to see what might motivate anyone to deceive oneself about God's existence.

Akademisk og konfesjonell teologi

The article discusses a recent text by Mårten Björk about the relationship between academic and confessional theology. It seeks to problematize and nuance the historical narrative that supports Björk's arguments. In particular, the article focuses on Björk's reading of Friedrich Schleier­macher. It examines the development of scientific theology and the science of religion in the nineteenth century and shows how this was apologetically motivated. Lastly, it argues that the main challenge facing academic theology today is the task of developing a mediating position which cannot be reduced to the purely confessional or non-confessional.

Geography and philosophy – space, time and being: the symbolism of the ideal man in the religious being from Athanasio of Alexandria in Vita Antoni

The philosophy of Western monasticism was born on the fringes of the official Church, especially when the Church had just become imperial. The search for a lived space referenced in the symbolism of the desert and for an ideal Christianity was also influenced by the hagiography of St. Anthony, in a broad space-time relationship. Athanasius of Alexandria, the Coptic bishop, when faced with the embryonic counterfeits of the friction between Church and State, projects in Vita Antoni an ideal presupposition of being Christian as humanity. This anthropological symbolism will crystallize in a trajectory of lived space and time, directly influencing Western civilization from an idealism that develops as a materiality and phenomenon in the deserts: the monasteries and the fuga mundi lifestyle. In the late period of the history of religions, a "father of the church" emerges who boldly describes the nuances of the pious character of the one who will one day be considered the father of monks, St. Anthony. This proposal analyzes the phenomenon of fuga mundi and its articulation with the locality of the monastery, from the perspective of Athanasius of Alexandria, with reference to the biography of Saint Anthony, observing its practical manifestations and how this enunciation occurred in the geohistory of Western Christianity, as well as identifying how this symbolic perspective influenced the Christian religious tradition. The methodology used in this work was applied research, using as a method the systematic analysis of the work of Athanasius of Alexandria and the hagiography present on St. Anthony, considering the evidence of socio-anthropological and symbolic aspects and the scientific convergence of geography, philosophy and the science of religion as an analytical proposal that unites categories such as space, time and being.

Arguing from cognitive science of religion: is religious belief debunked?

Arguing from cognitive science of religion: is religious belief debunked?