Why are most humans religious?
How much can be explained by evolutionary psychology?
Why do we cooperate? Is it religious injunctions or more emotional?
Is religiosity really about cooperation? What about legitimising hierarchy, control, and female self-sacrifice.
Muslim women are less likely to go to Friday prayers, but they are still devout. So perhaps group rituals are not so essential?
Why did all doctrinal religions emerge within a narrow latitudinal band?
Are groups necessarily small? Don’t films and social media scale-up solidarity? What about online mobs viciously attacking their favoured celebrity’s boyfriend’s new girlfriend?
Interview with Professor Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Oxford
https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/robin-dunbar
Robin's latest book is on Religion. He has also published excellent books on the science of love and betrayal; the evolution of language; and friendships.
