Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

1. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon By Daniel C. Dennett

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Avenues of Research

9. 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

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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 T