Executive Briefing: The Evolutionary Architecture of Belief
Cognitive scientists of religion (Pascal Boyer, Justin Barrett) demonstrate that religious belief is an evolutionary byproduct of cognitive survival tools: the Hyperactive Agency Detection Device (HADD) and Theory of Mind.
1. Better to Mistake Rustling Leaves for a Tiger
Natural selection favored hominids who attributed agency to inanimate events (hearing a branch snap and assuming a predator or spirit) over those who assumed it was merely the wind.
2. References
- Boyer, P. (2001). Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought. Basic Books.