Biomaterial Database

Hell of a theory. 2016

Joachim I Krueger

Department of Cognitive,Linguistic & Psychological Sciences,Brown University,Providence,RI 02912.joachim@brown.eduhttp://research.brown.edu/research/profile.php?id=10378.

The theory of group-selected Big God religions is a master narrative of cultural evolution. The evidence is a positive manifold of correlated assumptions and variables. Although provocative, the theory is overly elastic. Its critical ingredient - belief in Big Gods - is neither necessary nor sufficient to account for in-group prosociality and discipline. Four specific issues illustrate this elasticity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D012067	Religion	A set of beliefs concerning the nature, cause, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency. It usually involves devotional and ritual observances and often a moral code for the conduct of human affairs. (Random House Collegiate Dictionary, rev. ed.)	Prayer,Religious Beliefs,Religious Ethics,Beliefs, Religious,Ethic, Religious,Prayers,Religions,Religious Belief
D003468	Cultural Evolution	The continuous developmental process of a culture from simple to complex forms and from homogeneous to heterogeneous qualities. It is the change of cultures over time. Research in cultural evolution tries to understand the causal relationships that shape and change human culture in both the long and the short term.	Evolution, Cultural,Cultural Evolutions,Evolutions, Cultural
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man