EVOLUTIONARY HYPOTHESES ABOUT RELIGION: EIGHT PHILOSOPHY LESSON FOR SCIENCE CLASSES MASSIMO PIGLIUCCI

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1 EVOLUTIONARY HYPOTHESES ABOUT RELIGION: EIGHT PHILOSOPHY LESSON FOR SCIENCE CLASSES MASSIMO PIGLIUCCI

2 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PHILOSOPHY-FREE SCIENCE; THERE IS ONLY SCIENCE WHOSE PHILOSOPHICAL BAGGAGE IS TAKEN ON BOARD WITHOUT EXAMINATION. (DANIEL DENNETT, DARWIN S DANGEROUS IDEA)

3 FOUR CLASSES OF EXPLANATIONS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF RELIGION ADAPTATION, CLASSICAL MEMETICS ADAPTATION, GROUP SELECTION BYPRODUCT

4 FIRST LESSON: SCIENCE BY MULTIPLE HYPOTHESES

5 1) ADAPTATION, CLASSICAL RELIGIOUS BELIEF INCREASES INDIVIDUAL FITNESS, FOR INSTANCE BECAUSE: A) IT REDUCES ANXIETY ABOUT DEATH B) IT ATTRACTS MATES BECAUSE OF THE NECESSARY COSTLY COMMITMENT C)...

6 SECOND LESSON: THE STRUCTURE AND TESTABILITY OF HISTORICAL HYPOTHESES IN SCIENCE

7 THIRD LESSON: CAN STUDENTS THINK OF ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS? (AND HOW TO TEST THEM?) A) WHY WOULD BELIEF IN AN IMAGINARY WORLD DECREASE ANXIETY ABOUT ONE S DEATH? COULD THIS NOT BE ACHIEVED BY OTHER MEANS?

8 THIRD LESSON: CAN STUDENTS THINK OF ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS? (AND HOW TO TEST THEM?) A) WHY WOULD BELIEF IN AN IMAGINARY WORLD DECREASE ANXIETY ABOUT ONE S DEATH? COULD THIS NOT BE ACHIEVED BY OTHER MEANS? B) WHY WOULD A PROSPECTIVE MATE CARE ABOUT ONE S COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES TO AN ARBITRARY GROUP? ISN T THAT DETRIMENTAL TO COMMITMENT TO ONE S MATE?

9 2) ADAPTATION, GROUP RELIGIOUS BELIEF INCREASES GROUP FITNESS, FOR INSTANCE BECAUSE: A) IT INCREASES PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR B) IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO DIE TO DEFEND THE GROUP C)...

10 FOURTH LESSON: INTRODUCTION TO MULTI-LEVEL CAUSAL EXPLANATIONS

11 AND BACK TO TESTING HISTORICAL HYPOTHESES

12 AND BACK TO TESTING HISTORICAL HYPOTHESES A) PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IS PRESENT IN OTHER PRIMATES, WHERE IT IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY RELIGION

13 AND BACK TO TESTING HISTORICAL HYPOTHESES A) PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IS PRESENT IN OTHER PRIMATES, WHERE IT IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY RELIGION B) PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS THREATENING ONE S HEALTH OR LIFE HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN OTHER PRIMATES, AGAIN WITHOUT NEED FOR MYTHOLOGY

14 3) MEMETICS RELIGIOUS BELIEF INCREASES THE FITNESS OF SOME MEMES BECAUSE: IT SPREADS THE RELIGION MEMEPLEX AMONG HUMANITY DESPITE A FITNESS COST TO INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS

15 FIFTH LESSON: ON TESTABILITY OF HYPOTHESES IN SCIENCE

16 FIFTH LESSON: ON TESTABILITY OF HYPOTHESES IN SCIENCE WHAT IS THE ONTOLOGICAL STATUS OF MEMES?

17 FIFTH LESSON: ON TESTABILITY OF HYPOTHESES IN SCIENCE WHAT IS THE ONTOLOGICAL STATUS OF MEMES? HOW DO WE MAKE SENSE OF THE CONCEPT OF MEMETIC FITNESS WITHOUT FALLING INTO CIRCULARITY?

18 FIFTH LESSON: ON TESTABILITY OF HYPOTHESES IN SCIENCE WHAT IS THE ONTOLOGICAL STATUS OF MEMES? HOW DO WE MAKE SENSE OF THE CONCEPT OF MEMETIC FITNESS WITHOUT FALLING INTO CIRCULARITY? ARE MEMES JUST A METAPHOR? FOR WHAT? AND WHAT IS THE ROLE OF METAPHORS IN SCIENCE?

19 ON MEMES, I COULD NOT HAVE PUT IT BETTER MYSELF: IT IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR HOW IT IS THAT POSITING UNSEEN AND UNDEFINED ENTITIES THAT INFECT HUMAN MINDS BY UNASSESSED PROCESSES INVOLVING THE ENTITIES OWN QUEST FOR TRANSMISSION AND THAT CAUSE PEOPLE TO DO THINGS THAT TRANSCEND THEIR GENETIC IMPERATIVES IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT FROM MEDIEVAL DEMONOLOGY OR, IN ANY CASE, QUALIFIES AS AN EMPIRICALLY GROUNDED EXPLANATION IN TERMS OF NATURAL CAUSES. (JEFFREY SCHLOSS, 2009)

20 SIXTH LESSON: THE PHILOSOPHICAL STATUS OF HYPOTHETICALS IN SCIENCE

21 SIXTH LESSON: THE PHILOSOPHICAL STATUS OF HYPOTHETICALS IN SCIENCE

22 4) BYPRODUCT RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS THE UNSELECTED OUTCOME OF OTHER HUMAN BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS:

23 4) BYPRODUCT RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS THE UNSELECTED OUTCOME OF OTHER HUMAN BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS: A) ABILITY TO DETECT PATTERNS

24 4) BYPRODUCT RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS THE UNSELECTED OUTCOME OF OTHER HUMAN BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS: A) ABILITY TO DETECT PATTERNS B) POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC (I.E., PROPENSITY TO INFER CAUSALITY FROM PATTERNS)

25 4) BYPRODUCT RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS THE UNSELECTED OUTCOME OF OTHER HUMAN BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS: A) ABILITY TO DETECT PATTERNS B) POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC (I.E., PROPENSITY TO INFER CAUSALITY FROM PATTERNS) C) AGENCY PROJECTION / THEORY OF MIND

26 4) BYPRODUCT RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS THE UNSELECTED OUTCOME OF OTHER HUMAN BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS: A) ABILITY TO DETECT PATTERNS B) POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC (I.E., PROPENSITY TO INFER CAUSALITY FROM PATTERNS) C) AGENCY PROJECTION / THEORY OF MIND D) INDUCTIVE REASONING

27 SEVENTH LESSON: THE ROLE OF SELECTION VS. CONSTRAINTS, EXAPTATION, CHANCE AND NECESSITY

28 EIGHT LESSON: EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL AND (NON-MEMETIC) CULTURAL EVOLUTION

29 EIGHT LESSON: EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL AND (NON-MEMETIC) CULTURAL EVOLUTION

31 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE IS ABOUT AS USEFUL TO SCIENTISTS AS ORNITHOLOGY IS TO BIRDS. -R. FEYNMAN

32 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE IS ABOUT AS USEFUL TO SCIENTISTS AS ORNITHOLOGY IS TO BIRDS. -R. FEYNMAN

When Science Studies Religion: Six Philosophy Lessons for Science Classes

Sci & Educ DOI 10.1007/s11191-011-9355-2 When Science Studies Religion: Six Philosophy Lessons for Science Classes Massimo Pigliucci Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract It is an unfortunate