title: Are gods and good governments culturally and psychologically interchangeable?
abstract: Cognitive by-product theorists maintain that standard cognitive development facilitates the acquisition of religion. Citing secularization, Norenzayan et al. qualify that theory, proposing that gods and good governments are psychologically and culturally interchangeable. That contention, though, occasions questions about the psychological dynamics involved, about what qualifies as religiosity, and about asymmetries between gods and good governments in the face of catastrophes.
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture,Emory University,Atlanta,GA 30322.philrnm@emory.eduhttps://scholarblogs.emory.edu/robertnmccauley/
authors.forename: Robert N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: McCauley
mesh_terms: D006076:Government; D006801:Humans; D012067:Religion