vbid/9783662527573

Description

This books sets out to explain how and why religion came into being. Today�this question is�as fascinating as ever, especially since religion has moved to the centre of socio-political relationships. In contrast to the current, but�incomplete approaches from disciplines such as cognitive science and psychology, the present authors adopt a new approach, equally manifest and constructive,�that explains�the origins of religion based strictly on behavioural biology. They employ accepted research results�that remove all need for�speculation. Decisive factors for the earliest demonstrations of religion are�thus territorial behaviour and ranking, coping with existential fears, and conflict solution with the help of rituals. These�in turn, in a process of cultural evolution,�are shown to be the roots of�the historical and contemporary religions.Typham this is the title: Ancestors, Territoriality, and Gods A Natural History of Religion