Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict

Front Cover
Princeton University Press, Aug 25, 2013 - Social Science - 264 pages

A groundbreaking account of how religion made society possible

How did human societies scale up from tight-knit groups of hunter-gatherers to the large, anonymous, cooperative societies of today—even though anonymity is the enemy of cooperation? How did organized religions with "Big Gods"—the great monotheistic and polytheistic faiths—spread to colonize most minds in the world? In Big Gods, Ara Norenzayan makes the surprising argument that these fundamental puzzles about the origins of civilization answer each other.

Sincere faith in watchful Big Gods unleashed unprecedented cooperation within ever-expanding groups, yet at the same time it introduced a new source of potential conflict between competing groups. And in some parts of the world, societies with atheist majorities—some of the most cooperative and prosperous in the world—have climbed religion's ladder, and then kicked it away.

Big Gods answers fundamental questions about the origins and spread of world religions and helps us understand the rise of cooperative societies without belief in gods.

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Contents

Chapter 1 Religious Evolution
1
Chapter 2 Supernatural Watchers
13
Chapter 3 Pressure from Above
33
Chapter 4 In Big Gods We Trust
55
Chapter 5 Freethinkers as Freeriders
76
Chapter 6 True Believers
94
Chapter 7 Big Gods for Big Groups
118
Chapter 8 The Gods of Cooperation and Competition
140
Chapter 9 From Religious Cooperation to Religious Conflict
155
Chapter 10 Cooperation without God
170
Notes
193
References
215
Index
243
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
Ara Norenzayan
Limited preview - 2015
Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
Ara Norenzayan
No preview available - 2013

Common terms and phrases

agents American anonymous answer asked associated atheists behavior Big Gods called cause chapter cheating Christian cognitive colleagues commitment communities compared complex cooperation costly countries cultural discussed displays distrust earlier economic effects encourage et al evidence evolution evolutionary example expect experiments explain eyes fact factors faith feelings findings followers give Göbekli Tepe greater Henrich historical human idea important increase individuals institutions intuitive involvement kind known less levels live looked means measure mental mind moral Muslims natural norms observations origins participants percent person play population possible powerful practices predict prejudice Press priming prosocial religions psychology punishment question rates reason reli religious beliefs religious groups reminders rituals Science Second secular seen signals similar social societies spread strangers strong supernatural monitoring things thought tion trust turn University values watched

About the author (2013)

Ara Norenzayan is professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. His work has been featured on the BBC and CNN, and in the New York Times Magazine.

Bibliographic information

TitleBig Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict
AuthorAra Norenzayan
Editionillustrated
PublisherPrinceton University Press, 2013
ISBN1400848326, 9781400848324
Length264 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Psychology / Social Psychology
Religion / Comparative Religion
Religion / History
Self-Help / Personal Growth / General
Social Science / Sociology of Religion
  
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