The future of religion—5 scenarios

2. The future of religion—5 scenarios • 1. The Enlightenment is over; religion sweeps the planet. . . .

3. The future of religion—5 scenarios

4. The future of religion—5 scenarios • The Enlightenment is over; religion sweeps the planet. . . . • Religion is in its death throes . . . .

5. The European Museum of Roman Catholicism?

6. Disney’s Magic Kingdom of Allah?

7. Hagia Sofia, in Istanbul • Church . . . • Mosque. . . • Museum

8. The future of religion—5 scenarios • The Enlightenment is over; religion sweeps the planet. . . . • Religion is in its death throes . . . . • Religions transform themselves into creedless moral “teams” . . .

9. Evolving pageantry?

10. The future of religion—5 scenarios • The Enlightenment is over; religion sweeps the planet. . . . • Religion is in its death throes . . . . • Religions transform themselves into creedless moral “teams” . . . • Religion diminishes in prestige and visibility, rather like smoking . . .

13. The future of religion—5 scenarios • The Enlightenment is over; religion sweeps the planet. . . . • Religion is in its death throes . . . . • Religions transform themselves into creedless moral “teams” . . . • Religion diminishes in prestige and visibility, rather like smoking . . . • Judgment Day arrives . . . .

15. The future of religion—5 scenarios • The Enlightenment is over; religion sweeps the planet. . . . • Religion is in its death throes . . . . • Religions transform themselves into creedless moral “teams” . . . • Religion diminishes in prestige and visibility, rather like smoking . . . • Judgment Day arrives . . . .

16. All but one of these (at most) • is wildly wrong. . . . • Which one is right? • Nobody knows!

17. We need to study religion the way we study global warming, global economy, global energy resources. . . . . • scientifically. • As a natural phenomenon

18. If Martian scientists came to Earth. . . .

19. What is it?? • Maha Kumbh Mela (2001) in Northern India

22. How did all this originate? • What is it for? • How does it perpetuate itself?

26. lancet fluke, Dicrocoeliumdendriticum

29. A hijacker • A parasite that infects the brain and induces suicidal behavior . . . . • . . . on behalf of a cause other than one’s own genetic fitness.

30. Does that ever happen in us? • “islam” means submission • or surrender of self-interest to the will of Allah

31. Parchment music manuscript, ca 1540

32. Semen est verbum Dei. Sator autem Christus. • The Word of God is a seed. And the sower of the seed is Christ.

33. Ideas to die for: • Islam • Catholicism • Communism • Democracy • Justice • Freedom . . .

35. Is maximizing your progeny the summum bonum of your life?

36. Human culture is itself one of the fruits of the tree of life.

38. LUCA Last Universal Common Ancestor

40. LUCA Last Universal Common Ancestor

41. LUCA Last Universal Common Ancestor

42. Three closely related genera! • Coprinus Homo Zea

43. Fruits on the Tree of Life

44. Fruits on the Tree of Life

45. Fruits on the Tree of Life

46. Even human culture gets underway without any insightful design to prime the pump!

47. Ideas, not worms, hijack our brains. • Replicating ideas . . . . • Hitchhiking on music, art, rituals, . . . . • Surviving translation into other languages . . .

48. memes • Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene • are analogous to genes • Or to viruses (which are “naked” genes) • A virus is a string of nucleic acid with attitude.

49. A sketch of a sketch . . . • Priming the pump: the genetic basis • HADD “hyperactive agent detection device” • (Justin Barrett, 2000) • A “population” of imps, goblins. fairies, gods, leprechauns, . . . . • competition for rehearsal space • What are the winners “for”? • For occupying the minds they find themselves in.

50. Squirrels, rats, pigeons, barn swallows, . . . • are not domesticated • but thrive in human company . . . • So do spoken languages, folk music . . .