Phil HL - The God Gene

What is it about?
1. a specific gene that predisposes people to spiritual/mystical experiences
  1. religious behaviour due to a gene
  2. an evolutionary advantage: spiritual people tend to be more optimistic
    1. optimism: leads to pyschological/physical advantages - longer life
  3. products of reproduction & survival
2. Darwin
  1. meme: a unit of cultural transition
  2. Religion is one of the most powerful of memes
    1. passed on through speech, writing, gestures, rituals
  3. memes mutate & evolve like genes do
For
1. Applies to observations of William James: People who find it impossible to believe
2. explains persistence of religious beliefs
Against
1. Can the existence be studied empirically?
2. Zimmer: based only on one study
3. Polkinghorne: Theory is reductionist, only justified with the simplest most basic pyschical mechanisms involved
4. Why would God create people who cannot believe in him and then punish them?

Resource summary

	Created by taja.barber almost 9 years ago