I wonder if atheist evolutionary scientists like Richard Dawkins, who call for the elimination of religion as soon as possible for the salvation of humanity, I wonder if they ever considered that religion, even if was wrong, might be more "fit for survival" from an evolutionary perspective than atheism.
Religion has existed since man has been walking upright, and it is showing no signs of going away any time soon. The reason is that it works for humans. Otherwise they would have done away with it.
It is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It is highly unlikely that Muhammad could have inspired his illiterate people to build and expand an extensive empire and civilization without religion.
Wrong or right, as long as it works, people are going to depend on religion at the group level for motivation, human social organization, and spiritual and emotional livelihood.
The best that secularists can hope for is that religion will enter a more liberal era where its negative effects are ameliorated.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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2 comments:
I believe research has already been done on this.
In the sondition of early humans, any cohesion increase in the face of knowledge and resource uncertainly gives a massive survival advantage. However, atheism is only advantagous in the face of advances knowledge and plentiful resources; this is why a majority of scientists (having advanced knowledge and plentiful resources) are atheist or agnostic.
By the way you have a very good selection of writinsg on this blog. I am intrigued, keep it up.
Ali
hmm, your idea supposes that Darwinian evolution model is applicable in the case of social mediums (as opposed to the natural environment), an idea that Dawkins supported in his book "The selfish gene". But ever since the meme concept was created by Dawkins, many researches were conducted, and most of them, as far as I know, concluded that the analogy gene/meme was too poor to provide any interesting insight in social studies...
Indeed, Dawkins explains the success and longevity of Religions by the fact that they provided strong memes (among which the god-meme), which tend to replicate and spread among human beings more easily than their antitheses. But as we know, evolution by natural selection is a random process that may result in the development of the most wonderful of systems like our brain, or the deadliest of diseases!! That religion is/was most fit to survive doesn't make it the best suited system for our existence as a whole. Of course, it all depends on how we define ourselves and our objectives, but I think that, as far as human development is concerned, religion had played all of its cards, and it's high time that it leaves the arena to more qualified systems of thought and organization...
to be continued
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