[THS] How did religion evolve?

[Peter Webster]

[A good example of insularity and ignorance of scientsts, and of one field of science for others. Religion was at first shamanism, of course, and was universally inspired and maintained by psychoactive plants. Nor did it have anything to do with most of what these 'researchers' think, it was first an experience, and only much later had anything to do with moralities, doctrines, and all the rest of the bs that religions invariably become after they 'progress' past the shaman/drug stage. And shamanism/drug use goes right back to the beginning of modern man, Ethiopia - 73,000 years ago.]

How did religion evolve?

Feb. 8, 2010
Courtesy Cell Press
and World Science staff

Religion evolved as a byproduct of pre-existing mental capacities, and not because it
fulfilled a specific function of its own-though it can facilitate cooperation in society, a
study concludes.

Why religion emerged among early humans remains a source of contention among
scholars. Many scientists believe religion is ultimately based in the brain, but that still
leaves unclear how and why these behaviors originated and how they may have
been shaped during evolution. Some archaeologists think religion came about partly
as a strategy by some people to grab power, simply by claiming some sort of secret
knowledge.

The new study, published Feb. 8 in the research journal Trends in Cognitive
Sciences, takes a somewhat different track, exploring the link between morality and
religion.

"Some scholars claim that religion evolved as an adaptation to solve the problem of
cooperation among genetically unrelated individuals, while others propose that
religion emerged as a by-product of pre-existing cognitive capacities," said study co-
author Ilkka Pyysiainen of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies in Finland.

Pyysiainen and a co-author, evolutionary psychologist Marc Hauser Harvard
University, reviewed the two competing theories using the principles of what they call
experimental moral psychology.

"Religion is linked to morality in different ways," said Hauser. "For some, there is no
morality without religion, while others see religion as merely one way of expressing
one's moral intuitions." But past studies, the authors said, show that people of
differing religion or no religion show similar moral judgments when asked to
comment on unfamiliar moral dilemmas. That suggests intuitive judgments of right
and wrong work independently of explicit religious commitments, the researchers
argued.

"This supports the theory that religion did not originally emerge as a biological
adaptation for cooperation, but evolved as a separate by-product of pre-existing
cognitive functions that evolved from non-religious functions," said Pyysiainen.
"However, although it appears as if cooperation is made possible by mental
mechanisms that are not specific to religion, religion can play a role in facilitating and
stabilizing cooperation between groups."

This might help to explain the complex association between morality and religion, the
scientists added. "It seems that in many cultures religious concepts and beliefs have
become the standard way of conceptual moral intuitions. Although, as we discuss in
our paper, this link is not a necessary one, many people have become so accustomed
to using it, that criticism targeted at religion is experienced as a fundamental threat
to our moral existence," said Hauser.

Source: World Science
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/100208_religion