Religion has many other benefits to us apart from that, in terms of our social organization. People actually feel that it has efficacy, a supernatural efficacy, in their lives. And i think you can see anything that helps you bind the group together dramatically improves your ability to survive and reproduce successfully. That kind of thing happens all the time - look at how computers invented crunching for example. We're driven by one particular function or purpose but once they're in place, they open up other opportunities.
Instead of debunking religious beliefs, what if we investigated where religion comes from, and why it’s virtually universal across human cultures? Anthropologist and “How Religion Evolved And Why It Endures” author Robin Dunbar joins Adam to discuss the origins of religion. He describes how touch, laughter, and song bonded people together, and the social role of religious rituals such as sin-eating. You can purchase Robin’s book here: http://factuallypod.com/books
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