| 1. |
- Hallin, Nathalie, 1990-, et al.
(author)
-
Bias against Atheists and Religious Persons in Sweden
- 2020
-
In: Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion. - : Equinox Publishing. - 2049-7563 .- 2049-7555. ; 5:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Religion is viewed as necessary for moral behaviour in many parts of the world. Today, however, many societies are becoming more secular and the view of atheists as immoral might therefore change. This study investigated anti-atheist and anti-religious bias in Sweden, by replicating Gervais et al. (2017). The study used an online version of the conjunction fallacy test, which investigates whether a description, in this case of extremely immoral behaviour, is viewed as representative of a category or group. In this study we chose atheists and religious believers as targets. The sample consisted of 268 Swedish participants. The results showed no significant difference between conditions. However, the anti-atheist bias was lower than in the original American sample from the replicated study, while the anti-religious bias was higher. Further research can investigate differences between cultures, using the conjunction fallacy test.
|
|
| 2. |
- Nordin, Andreas, 1967
(author)
-
Indirect Reciprocity and Reputation Management in Religious Morality Relating to Concepts of Supernatural Agents
- 2015
-
In: Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion. - : Equinox Publishing. - 2049-7555 .- 2049-7563. ; 3:2, s. 125-153
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Concerns with reputation are found in relation to human notions about rank, honour, religious morality and sacred values. In cognitive and evolutionary approaches to religion, such as “adaptivist” and “by-product” theories, concepts of reputation imply slightly different significances and pragmatic functions. From an “adaptivist” perspective, belief in supernatural punishment supports commitment enhancement and can relate to the promotion of intra-group competition, especially in the absence of concerns about reputational pressure. Alternative accounts, found in “by-product” approaches to religion, suggest that the attribution of moral notions to supernatural agents derives from human cognitive systems devoted to social interaction and cooperation entailing reputation monitoring. More profoundly, in altruist and mutualist models of human cooperation and morality, reputation implies different functions and, by consequence, reputation in “adaptivist” and “by-product” theories is awarded different degrees of importance. The aim of this article is to analyse a predominant type of religious morality by focusing on the conceptualisation of supernatural agents and the function of reputation monitoring. I shall compare altruist and mutualist accounts and adopt the latter to complement our understanding of the social cognitive machinery that underpins the relevance and attribution of moral notions to supernatural agents. I shall argue that concern with reputation is closely linked with the cognition of supernatural agents because: (a) according to mutualistic theories, indirect reciprocity and reputation hold a significant position in cooperation and morality, and this has consequences for how religious morality ought to be modelled; and (b) supernatural agents are supposedly “full-access agents” that are aware of “strategic information” because they are omniscient agents that know everything of importance for a believer’s reputation and the dynamics of indirect reciprocity in which the believer takes part.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Svensson, Jonas, 1969-
(author)
-
The Contagious Muhammad : Addressing Prophetic Relics in Islam from the Perspective of the Cognitive Science of Religion
- 2021
-
In: Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion. - : Equinox Publishing. - 2049-7555 .- 2049-7563. ; 5:2, s. 187-204
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article utilizes a cognitive science of religion framework in approaching the cultural phenomena of relics from the prophet Muhammad in Islamic tradition. The basic arguments are that a contagion aspiration system that underlies the phenomenon of relics in general could hypothetically be construed as an evolutionary exaptation of a contagion avoidance system within a framework of social learning, and that the specific phenomenon of relics can be seen as a by-product of this exaptation. This explanatory model is used to make sense of two specific complexes of beliefs and practices: (1) the notion that physical contact with prophetic relics results in transfer substance, baraka, with this-worldly beneficial effect, and (2) the fact that prophetic relics throughout history has been used by political and religious dignitaries as a means to boost social prestige and authority.
|
|
| 5. |
- Visuri, Ingela, 1976-
(author)
-
A Room of One’s Own : Autistic Imagination as a Stage for Parasocial Interaction and Social Learning
- 2017
-
In: Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion. - : International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion. - 2049-7555 .- 2049-7563. ; 5:1, s. 100-124
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This article examines the role and function of imagination and parasocial (fiction-based) relations among autistic individuals. In interviews, seventeen high functioning, autistic young adults describe how they frequently absorb into daydreams, fantasy literature and multiplayer online roleplaying games. These findings diverge from previous cognitive research which suggests that imagination is limited in autistic individuals; a conclusion which is also challenged by scholars in critical autism research. It is suggested that these opposed scholarly views can be bridged analytically and methodologically by separating interpersonal and intrapersonal imagination, of which only the former, social aspect is affected across the whole autism spectrum. The results indicate that parasocial relations are used both for pleasure and to cope with adversities, and that imaginary realms serve as optimal autistic spaces for simulating and practicing social interaction. The article moreover provides a comparative discussion on parasocial and supernatural relations.
|
|
| 6. |
- Visuri, Ingela, fil. dr. 1976-
(author)
-
How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others, by Tanya Luhrmann.
- 2021
-
In: Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion. - : Equinox Publishing. - 2049-7555 .- 2049-7563. ; 7:1, s. 123-126
-
Review (other academic/artistic)abstract
- How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others, by Tanya Luhrmann. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2020. xv + 235 pp., $29.95 (cloth), ISBN: 9780691164465.
|
|
