Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'Atheism and Religion'

Critical Social Theory & Religion

August 26th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Atheism and Religion, Cognition and Religion, Economy and Religion, Religion as Evolutionary Adaptation, Religion as Evolutionary Byproduct

As most social and critical theorists know, Karl Marx asserted that the “criticism of religion is the premise of all criticism” (Critique of Hegel, 1843).  This is a startling foundational statement coming from Marx, who also thought that the criticism of religion was complete — a key accomplishment which enabled him to proceed with his [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:······················

Undergraduates and Religion

August 24th, 2010 · No Comments · Atheism and Religion, Cognition and Religion, History of Religions, Philosophy of Religion

Over at HuffPo Religion, Princeton’s dean of religious affairs explains how entering freshmen can “find their religion” during their four years at college by asking (and attempting to answer) three questions:
1. What do you believe?
2. What does your neighbor believe?
3. How do those beliefs affect the choices you and your neighbor are making about how [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:·······

Christian America and Religious Intolerance

August 11th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Atheism and Religion, Axial Age Religions, Civil Religion, Emotions and Religion

In an odd article that attempts to situate Anne Rice’s very public proclamation that she is leaving the Catholic Church within the larger context of American Christianity, Los Angeles Times religion reporter William Lobdell makes two apparently contradictory claims:

American Christianity is not well, and there’s evidence to indicate that its condition is more critical [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:····························

Christopher Hitchens’ Humish Interview

August 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Atheism and Religion, History of Religions, Philosophy of Religion

As many know, Christopher Hitchens (the cheeky British gadfly of God) has esophageal cancer.  Although he announced this and took a break to undergo treatment, I noticed last week he had resumed writing some columns.  Yesterday, I found this recent video interview over at The Atlantic; it is simultaneously heart-wrenching and moving.
It is heart-wrenching because [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:················

Power Co-opts Religion: China to Support Buddhism

August 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Atheism and Religion, Axial Age Religions, Civil Religion, Economy and Religion, History of Religions, Power and Religion

The story is a familiar one: a new religion is founded — or, as the sociologist Rodney Stark would say, a new sect is born from an older tradition — and over time it becomes successful.  By success, I mean that it grows, becomes popular, and shows few signs of slowing down.
At some point during [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:·····························

Evolution of Altruism, Group Level Selection, and George Price

July 23rd, 2010 · No Comments · Atheism and Religion, Cultural Evolution of Religion, Evolution and Selection, Religion as Evolutionary Adaptation, Religion as Evolutionary Byproduct

Over at Discover, Razib Khan has reviewed Oren Harman’s new book The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness.  It is fantastic review and I encourage you to read it.  Price was many things, including a theoretical evolutionary biologist with considerable mathematical skills.  As Razib explains:
George Price’s aim was [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:·················

Ancestor Worship: The Epicurean Lucretius

July 10th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Atheism and Religion, Cognition and Religion, Cultural Evolution of Religion, Evolution and Selection, History of Religions, Philosophy of Religion

While doing some background research on the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), I discovered that he had been much influenced by Lucretius, who lived in the first century BCE (around the time of Julius Caesar) and published a six-volume treatise titled On the Nature of Things. As if writing philosophy in narrative form were [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:·························

What is Agnosticisim?

July 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Atheism and Religion, Classifications of Religion, Definitions of Religion, Methodology of Religion

Over at Slate, Ron Rosenbaum has penned a manifesto for the “new agnosticism,” which he sees as an alternative to credulous theism on the the one hand and strident atheism on the other.  Rosenbaum’s position deserves considerable merit and has some appeal, but I am not sure I can agree with him on this definition:
Agnosticism [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:····················

Hard Science Meets Soft Religion

July 3rd, 2010 · No Comments · Atheism and Religion, Cognition and Religion, Daily Devolutions, History of Religions, Methodology of Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Religion as Evolutionary Adaptation, Religion as Evolutionary Byproduct, Ritual and Religion

Over at HuffPo Religion, Dr. Rustum Roy — a geochemist — accuses the media of criminal conduct in its reporting of the non-existent war between science and religion.  In the course of doing so, Roy tilts at several windmills and claims special authority for “hard” or “classical” science.
Roy begins by touting his credentials as a [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:·························

Angst and Brainsoothing Religion

June 30th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, Atheism and Religion, Cognition and Religion, Emotions and Religion, Religion as Evolutionary Adaptation, Religion as Evolutionary Byproduct

Over at HuffPo Religion, Wray Herbert asks whether religious belief soothes the worried mind and reports on some new research suggesting it does.  Scholars have been asking this question for quite a long time, and many have simply assumed that religion does in fact sooth troubled minds.  Freud reached this conclusion in Future of an [...]

[Read more →]

Tags:···················