Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'The Faith Instinct'

Contra Group Level Selection — George Williams (RIP)

September 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Cultural Evolution, Definitions, Evolutionary Adaptation, Evolutionary Byproduct, History, Neolithic

As Nicholas Wade reports, the prominent evolutionary theorist George Williams recently died.  It is somehow fitting that Wade, who tells group level selection stories about the evolution of religion in his book The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved & Why It Endures, should write Williams’ obituary.  Although Williams’ interests were broad, he is best known [...]

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Non-Religious Chimpanzees Cooperate and War for Territory

June 28th, 2010 · No Comments · Cultural Evolution, Ecology, Economy, Evolution, Evolutionary Adaptation, Evolutionary Byproduct, History, Hunter-Gatherers, Neolithic, Power, Shamanism

There have been many articles over the past week reporting that an unusually large group (150 members) of chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda has been engaging in systematic territorial expansion by attacking and killing neighboring groups.  The Nature article notes that this is “cooperative behavior” and then quotes from the New York Times story:
These [...]

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