Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions

j 2024

Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions

LANG, Martin

Základní údaje

Originální název

Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions

Autoři

LANG, Martin

Vydání

Religion, Brain & Behavior, London, Routledge Journals, Taylor and Francs Ltd. 2024, 2153-599X

Další údaje

Jazyk

angličtina

Typ výsledku

Publikace v odborném periodiku – kromě recenzovaných typů article, review a letter

Obor

60304 Religious studies

Stát vydavatele

Velká Británie a Severní Irsko

Utajení

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Odkazy

URL

Impakt faktor

Impact factor: 3.400

Označené pro přenos do RIV

Organizační jednotka

Filozofická fakulta

Klíčová slova anglicky

religion; ritual; evolution; belief

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam

Změněno: 8. 2. 2025 20:03, Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová

Anotace

V originále

Robin Dunbar’s book How Religion Evolved brings back the ethos of “big theories” that was characteristic of scholars of religion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the previous approaches were rightfully criticized for unilinear views of cultural evolution, the aftermath of these critiques condemned (perhaps a bit prematurely) big theories to oblivion (Kundt, 2015). With novel tools for understanding biological and cultural evolution at our hands, it may be a good time to carefully reinvigorate “big theorizing” in a more informed way and ask, as Dunbar does, how religion evolved. The target book represents a valuable step in this direction and provides a general model suggesting that religions first evolved as animistic traditions emerging from individual mystical experiences and later merged into cultural systems facilitating social bonding and creating communities. While I agree that religions (or, more specifically, religious systems) evolved, and we may expect the evolution to be cumulative (building on previous adaptations), I have an alternative view of the timing and sequence of these evolutionary events. Specifically, I will focus my commentary on Dunbar’s proposition about the function of religious ritual and the timing of its evolution. Since ritual behavior is an essential component of any functioning religious system (Sosis, 2016, 2019), the way we model the evolution of ritual will determine our general understanding of the evolution of religion.

Citovat

LANG, Martin. Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions. Religion, Brain & Behavior. London: Routledge Journals, Taylor and Francs Ltd., 2024, roč. 14, č. 1, s. 78-81. ISSN 2153-599X. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2023.2168737.

@article{2267300,
   author = {Lang, Martin},
   article_location = {London},
   article_number = {1},
   doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2023.2168737},
   keywords = {religion; ritual; evolution; belief},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {2153-599X},
   journal = {Religion, Brain & Behavior},
   title = {Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions},
   url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/2153599X.2023.2168737},
   volume = {14},
   year = {2024}
}

TY  - JFULL
ID  - 2267300
AU  - Lang, Martin
PY  - 2024
TI  - Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions
JF  - Religion, Brain & Behavior
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
SP  - 78-81
EP  - 78-81
PB  - Routledge Journals, Taylor and Francs Ltd.
SN  - 2153599X
KW  - religion
KW  - ritual
KW  - evolution
KW  - belief
UR  - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/2153599X.2023.2168737
N2  - Robin Dunbar’s book How Religion Evolved brings back the ethos of “big theories” that was characteristic of scholars of religion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the previous approaches were rightfully criticized for unilinear views of cultural evolution, the aftermath of these critiques condemned (perhaps a bit prematurely) big theories to oblivion (Kundt, 2015). With novel tools for understanding biological and cultural evolution at our hands, it may be a good time to carefully reinvigorate “big theorizing” in a more informed way and ask, as Dunbar does, how religion evolved. The target book represents a valuable step in this direction and provides a general model suggesting that religions first evolved as animistic traditions emerging from individual mystical experiences and later merged into cultural systems facilitating social bonding and creating communities. While I agree that religions (or, more specifically, religious systems) evolved, and we may expect the evolution to be cumulative (building on previous adaptations), I have an alternative view of the timing and sequence of these evolutionary events. Specifically, I will focus my commentary on Dunbar’s proposition about the function of religious ritual and the timing of its evolution. Since ritual behavior is an essential component of any functioning religious system (Sosis, 2016, 2019), the way we model the evolution of ritual will determine our general understanding of the evolution of religion.
ER  -

LANG, Martin. Formalized rituals may have preceded the emergence of religions. \textit{Religion, Brain \&{} Behavior}. London: Routledge Journals, Taylor and Francs Ltd., 2024, roč.~14, č.~1, s.~78-81. ISSN~2153-599X. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2023.2168737.

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