Cui bono? A review of breaking the spell: religion as a natural phenomenon by Daniel C. Dennett.
The three requirements for a Darwinian evolutionary process are replication, variation and selection. Dennett (2006) discusses various theories of how these three processes, especially selection, may have operated in the evolution of religion. He believes that the origins of religion, like the origins of language and music, may be approached scientifically. He hopes that such investigations will open a dialog between science and religion leading to moderation of current religious extremism. One problem with Dennett's program, illustrating the difficulty of breaking away from creationist thinking, is Dennett's own failure to consider how Darwinian methods may be used to study evolution of behavioral patterns over the lifetime of individual organisms.
Rachlin
Howard
H
Psychology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA. howard.rachlin@sunysb.edu
D000818:Animals; D001527:Behaviorism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003469:Culture; D028663:Ethical Theory; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012070:Religion and Science; D012641:Selection, Genetic