Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA06044 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 24 Sep 2001 19:31:21 +0100 From: Philip Jonkers <P.A.E.Jonkers@phys.rug.nl> X-Authentication-Warning: rugth1.phys.rug.nl: www-data set sender to jonkers@localhost using -f To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Dawkins was right all along Message-ID: <1001354156.3baf73acc84c2@rugth1.phys.rug.nl> Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 19:55:56 +0200 (CEST) References: <F227e2U8QVjp3b6uIU100003de6@hotmail.com> In-Reply-To: <F227e2U8QVjp3b6uIU100003de6@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit User-Agent: IMP/PHP IMAP webmail program 2.2.5 X-Originating-IP: 129.125.13.3 Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Scott:
> There could be an innate or heritable underbelly to the generation of
> religious belief, whether adaptive or non-adaptive. OTOH, there might
> not be
> such an innate bias. I guess it depends on whether there's a "God
> module" or
> not.
Hi Scott,
Interesting of you bringing that up. It seems that there is
such a thing of, what you refer to as a, `God module'. I guess
it corresponds to an area in the pre-frontal cortex. I posted
a mail ages ago, called: `This is your brain on God' which
was about some Canadian scientist who invented a brain-machine
that could arouse religious/spiritual experiences, depending
on the subject's religous commitment of course.
Given the fact that the ability to become religious is
innate, one may ask:
What are the evolutionary forces that drove the development
of such a mental module?
A clue that springs to mind is that religious communities may
have had a survival benefit over not so religious communities
through ensuring social coherence within the group.
An evolutionary pressure may then have favored the more religious
type of brain...
Also religous thinking affects just about everybody, including
atheist. Think of the universally applied language, terms
such as spirituality, eternity, soul, purpose/ goal of life
hold sway everywhere. Even evolutionary psychologists are
for spreading the `gospel' of their scientific
beliefs in such a fanatical religious kind of way.
Philip.
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