Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

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Breaking the Spell Religion as a Natural
Phenomenon

• By Daniel C. Dennett

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Overview

• Definition of religion
• Consequences for studying religion
• Evolution of religion
• Avenues of research
• Critique of book

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What is Religion?

• Social systems whose participants avow belief in
  a supernatural agent or agents whose approval is
  sought (p. 9)

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Characteristics of Religion

• Maintains Cartesian dualism
• Natural and supernatural world
• Life after death
• Identifies causes of events by looking to God
• Believes in entities or concepts that are not
  testable

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Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

• Religions are culturally transmitted through
  verbal behavior and symbolism
• Religion is natural instead of supernatural
• It is comprised of events, individuals, and human
  behavior

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Why Study Religion?

• Understand how and why religion influences human
  behavior
• Philosophy is questions that may never be
  answered. Religion is answers that may never be
  questioned. -Anonymous

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The Evolution of Religion

• Before the scientific revolution, understanding
  of the natural world was minimal
• People did not understand causal variables of
  nature
• Much easier to describe events if you attribute
  it some type of agency (supernatural entity)
• Religion was created to describe events in the
  world that are easily understandable to everyday
  people
• Attributed phenomena to an act of God

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Avenues of Research
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The Cultural Evolution of Religion

• Evolution requires
• Replication
• Variation
• Differential fitness
• Religion is replicated through language
• Variants of religions emerge during conflict
• Religions are more or less effective in given
  cultural environments

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Avenues of Research

• Evolutionary history of religion
• How different religions produce varying religious
  behavioral patterns
• How should society handle religious excessiveness
  (e.g., terrorism related to religion)

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Critique of Breaking the Spell

• Causal variables of religious behavior
• Dennett applies an inner agent to behavior
• Maintains dualism between inner and outer world
• Should look at environmental variables that are
  associated with religious behavior

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Critique of Breaking the Spell

• Philosophical issues
• Dennett approaches the study of religious
  behavior from a mechanistic worldview
• Relates religious behavior to mental structures
  in the brain
• May be beneficial to approach religion from a
  more pragmatic view
• Should identify environmental events that produce
  religious behavior instead of assuming mental
  structures in the brain

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