Neil Van Leeuwen, "Religion As Make-Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity" (Harvard UP, 2023)

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Sep 17, 2024

Neil Van Leeuwen, an author and researcher, delves into the intriguing realm of belief, imagination, and group identity. He argues that religious beliefs function similarly to imaginative play, creating a layered cognitive experience. Van Leeuwen discusses how communal identities are shaped through these beliefs and contrasts emotional engagement with factual foundations. He also highlights the interplay of prayer and action, the dynamics of faith versus doubt, and the complexities of childhood belief systems, ultimately revealing that belief often transcends empirical evidence.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Cognitive Play: Navigating Belief and Imagination

02:00 • 15min

Exploring the Foundations of Factual Beliefs

17:20 • 4min

Thinking vs. Believing: The Complexity of Faith

20:53 • 16min

The Intersection of Prayer and Practical Action

36:43 • 5min

Faith, Doubt, and Belief Dynamics

41:49 • 10min

Beyond Belief: The Complexities of Religious Extremism

52:09 • 8min

Navigating Belief Systems in Childhood

59:56 • 12min

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light.

In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity (Harvard UP, 2023), Neil Van Leeuwen draws on psychological, linguistic, and anthropological evidence to show that psychological mechanisms underlying religious beliefs function like those that enable imaginative play.

When someone pretends, they navigate the world on two levels simultaneously, or as Van Leeuwen describes it, by consulting two maps. The first map is that of factual, mundane reality. The second is a map of the imagined world. This second map is then superimposed on top of the first to create a multi-layered cognitive experience that is consistent with both factual and imaginary understandings.

With this model in mind, we can understand religious belief, which Van Leeuwen terms religious "credence", as a form of make-believe that people use to define their group identity and express values they hold as sacred. Religious communities create a religious-credence map which sits on top of their factual-belief map, creating an experience where ordinary objects and events are rich with sacred and supernatural significance.

Recognizing that our minds process factual and religious beliefs in fundamentally different ways allows us to gain deeper understanding of the complex individual and group psychology of religious faith.

Author recommended reading:

The WEIRDEST People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich.

Mentioned resources:

Lecture 'But... But... But... Extremists!' by Neil van Leeuwen
Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists by Scott Atran

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