KUNDT, Radek and Martin LANG. Evolutionary origin of ritual behavior in humans. In Religion and the mind, 28-29 May 2022, Institute for the Study of Religions, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. 2022.
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Basic information
Original name Evolutionary origin of ritual behavior in humans
Authors KUNDT, Radek and Martin LANG.
Edition Religion and the mind, 28-29 May 2022, Institute for the Study of Religions, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. 2022.
Other information
Original language English
Type of outcome Presentations at conferences
Field of Study 60304 Religious studies
Country of publisher Poland
Confidentiality degree is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW URL
Organization unit Faculty of Arts
Keywords in English ritual behavior; collective ritual
Tags International impact, Reviewed
Changed by Changed by: Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová, učo 361753. Changed: 12/2/2023 18:02.
Abstract
Treating collective ritual as a complex signaling system facilitating mutualistic cooperation, together with Martin Lang, we propose an evolutionary model of its origin in the hominin lineage. In our model, we first synthesize the literature dealing with hunter-gatherer ethnography and hominin archaeology and identify similarity signals, coalitionary signals, and signals of commitment to collective action as the main building blocks of the signaling system. Subsequently, we turn to primatology and paleoanthropology to trace these signals in both non-human primates and past hominins. Adding the proximate level to our analysis, we pinpoint distinctive neurocognitive mechanisms scaffolding the three types of ritual signals and track down their presence. Eventually, we connect this evidence with the prevalent socio-ecological pressures for cooperative communication and suggest that by the arrival of H. Sapiens collective ritual had already been selected for as a crucial adaptation overcoming collective action problems.
Links
MUNI/A/1435/2021, interní kód MUName: Velké otázky ve studiu náboženství: Snaha o propojování humanitní a přírodovědné expertízy (Acronym: VESNA)
Investor: Masaryk University
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