Religious groups as adaptive units.

D S Wilson

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PubMed · 12472065

Religious groups as adaptive units.

D S Wilson

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Abstract

This essay provides a sketch of religion as a set of biologically and culturally evolved adaptations that enable human groups to function as adaptive units. Recent developments in evolutionary biology make such a group-level interpretation of religion more plausible than in the past. A brief survey of relevant concepts is followed by a relatively detailed interpretation of Calvinism as a religious system in which explicit behavioral prescriptions, beliefs about God and his relationship with people, and numerous social control mechanisms combined to change the city of Geneva from a collection of warring factions to a unified population.

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Cultural Evolution France Group Processes History, 16th Century Humans Protestantism Religious Philosophies Biography Historical Article Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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D S Wilson. 2001. Religious groups as adaptive units.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12472065/

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