"Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul possesses a compelling structure; the first par... more "Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul possesses a compelling structure; the first part of the book chronologically traces the history of the soul from its basis in prehistoric thought to its canonical placement at the center of Western theological traditions, the second part of the book—in jarring contrast—outlines the developments in neuroscience and psychopharmacology that put traditional ideas about the soul to the test, and the final section of the book illustrates the ramifications of this intersection between the old and the new, the consequences of that perennial clash between science and religion. In the introduction, McGraw writes:
Why bring up the debate about the human soul once again? If thousands of years of careful thinkers could not resolve the arguments, why should we expect anything more? We can now expect better answers—or at least better arguments—because science has provided us with new tools and new information about this all-important matter.
From the visionary art of the prehistoric caves at Chauvet and Lascaux to the latest findings from The Salk Institute in La Jolla, McGraw deftly weaves history and science in an effort to understand the meaning, significance, and future of this all-important concept, crucial to so many religious traditions. Topics in the book range from “The Soul of Plato,” to “Psychoactivity”—a thorough chapter on the significance of psychoactive drugs in human history—to “After Life?”—a fascinating exploration of the conceptions of life after death. From prehistory to postmodernity, Brain & Belief seeks to understand humankind’s obsession with life, death, and the afterlife. The ambitious scope of the book is balanced by a deeply personal voice whose sympathy for both science and religion is resonant."
...McGraw covers an amazingly broad territory in this fine study. -- Daniel Liechty, author of Transference and Transcendence
...an important addition to the pantheon of popular science books... And it's a good read to boot! -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine
A stimulating narrative...and an accessible pathway to the complex intersection of science, philosophy, psychology and religion. -- Kirkus
McGraw’s work is especially noteworthy in that he combines comprehensive historical excavation with the most recent findings on brain functioning. -- Science & Theology News
This substantially documented work is a philosophical quest to make sense of the myths and realities shrouding the human soul. -- Library Journal
In a highland Maya divination ritual called pajooneem (Tz’utujil, “weighing” or “balancing”), the... more In a highland Maya divination ritual called pajooneem (Tz’utujil, “weighing” or “balancing”), the bright red seeds of the tz’ite’ tree (Erythrina corallodendron) are utilized in conjunction with the 260-day calendar known as the Cholq’iij in order to involve revered “other-than-human persons” (Hallowell 2002) in a decision-making activity. The tz’ite’ seeds serve as “mediating artifacts” (Hutchins 1995:292) that help to coordinate various elements in an “ecology of mind” (Bateson 2000). In particular, the tz’ite’ seeds serve as “material anchors” (Hutchins 2005) when, during the divination, they are grouped into clusters to stand-in for the days of the Cholq’iij calendar. In this “conceptual blend” (Fauconnier and Turner 2002) the clusters of seeds come to embody the days of the Cholq’iij. Since there are twenty distinct days in this calendar, each of which pairs with the numbers one through thirteen in the course of the 260-day cycle, the combinatorial possibilities present a clear challenge to working memory. The use of material anchors facilitates the manipulation of representations in a complex “traffic of signs” (Peirce, et al. 1982) or “semiotic ecology” (Lang 1993).
The use of objects in this ritual also helps to make the decision-making activity public and visible; this public status, coupled with a “suppression of intention” typical of the divination process itself (Du Bois 1993), further distributes the agency of the decision among the interacting elements coordinated by the ritual. This distribution of agency lessens the “normative load” on the individuals involved and invests the decision with institutional authority.
Using interview transcripts, photos, and video analysis, I consider the ways that tz’ite’ seeds mediate cognition with a spotlight on their role in decision-making practices. Ultimately, this represents a cultural practice that is far more typical than commonly appreciated: People involve themselves in each other’s decision-making and judgment via an assemblage of intersubjective and interobjective structuration processes fostered by material objects. This investigation has relevance for discussions of materiality in anthropology, distributed cognition in cognitive science, active externalism in philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of studying ritual as a dynamical system; that is, identifying the reciprocally causal relationships among the people, places, objects, and signs, an approach I have entitled “ritual ecology.”
Quartz crystals have been found in numerous Mesoamerican archaeological sites; their presence in ... more Quartz crystals have been found in numerous Mesoamerican archaeological sites; their presence in Maya assemblages has led some scholars to suggest their use in Classic Period ritual activity. Contemporary Maya peoples often use crystals for ritual purposes as well. From the earliest ethnographies to present studies, crystals show up again and again as part of the ritual specialist’s paraphernalia. As has been suggested throughout this volume in regards to the divinatory usage of mirrors, crystals play an important role in a number of scrying practices. Indeed, one Maya ritual specialist I consulted even referred to crystals as “little mirrors.” Is the preponderance of these reflective objects and the characteristics attributed to them due to tradition alone (thus supporting the direct historical approach and analogical reasoning in archaeology) or are there underlying cognitive tendencies which lead people to include crystals as important tools for ritual? Here it is suggested that the geological prevalence and unusual properties (e.g. their combination of hardness and transparency, their prismatic characteristics) of quartz crystals have led to their ritual usage in so many contexts, past and present. Such properties, as well as the “hyper-regular” nature of crystals (for instance, quartz crystals always develop a hexagonal morphology), elicit inferences about the artificial creation of crystals; they stimulate cognitive representations of anthropomorphic design and perceived order in nature. Stumbling upon a bright, sharply faceted quartz crystal is akin to finding Paley’s famous watch with its alluring insinuations of a watchmaker. These intuitive associations help to explain why crystals end up in ritual contexts more than any other stone.
Mesoamerican cosmologies have developed ideas about self using change-in-time as the principal or... more Mesoamerican cosmologies have developed ideas about self using change-in-time as the principal orientation. These approaches conceive existence to be a phenomenon of temporal organization, which is radically different in assumptions and consequences than a metaphysics based on substances. The chief consequence of this is a continuity between human beings-in-time and other living and non-living entities. One’s character and destiny are of a kind with specific animals, meteorological phenomena, places, and objects. The qualities of the timed world and the qualities of the person are one and the same. Understanding oneself, one’s role, and living well results from properly orienting oneself to this metaphysical order by embracing one’s “co-essence.”
Laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that exposure to cues of intentional agents in the... more Laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that exposure to cues of intentional agents in the form of eyes can increase prosocial behavior. However, previous research mostly used 2-dimensional depictions as experimental stimuli. Thus far no study has examined the influence of the spatial properties of agency cues on this prosocial effect. To investigate the role of dimensionality of agency cues on fairness, 345 participants engaged in a decision-making task in a naturalistic setting. The experimental treatment included a 3-dimensional pseudo-realistic model of a human head and a 2-dimensional picture of the same object. The control stimuli consisted of a real plant and its 2-D image. Our results partly support the findings of previous studies that cues of intentional agents increase prosocial behavior. However, this effect was only found for the 3-D cues, suggesting that dimensionality is a critical variable in triggering these effects in a real-world settings. Our research sheds light on a hitherto unexplored aspect of the effects of environmental cues and their morphological properties on decision-making.
Ritual theory has undergone a significant revision over the last few decades. Whereas ritual was ... more Ritual theory has undergone a significant revision over the last few decades. Whereas ritual was once discussed mainly in terms of symbolism, now the importance of ritual action is foregrounded. Many theorists consider doing rituals, rather than inferring theological subtleties supposedly implied by them, to be paramount. However, this school of thought should not be interpreted as marginalizing meaning as a fundamental category, though a basic reorientation is required: meaning comes predominantly from ritual enaction rather than from ideas or beliefs thought to be encoded and expressed in ritual. In this article, ritual action and enaction are juxtaposed in order to arrive at a set of productive comparisons between the two frameworks. As in the paradigm of enaction, it is here suggested that ritual is an important means of “bringing forth a world.”
If mind is investigated as the set of interactions that accomplish a cognitive task, that is, if ... more If mind is investigated as the set of interactions that accomplish a cognitive task, that is, if mind is more than that which occurs inside the head, then how does the interplay of biological and environmental resources produce human cognition? Informed by active externalism, joint action, and distributed cognition, we review and classify a set of cognitive processes mediated by material representations. Specifically, we ask how—in a range of everyday cognitive and cultural practices—we employ objects (1) to scaffold memory, (2) to alter cognitive complexity, (3) to facilitate epistemic experimentation, (4) to enable the division of cognitive labor, (5) to promote confidence and trust, (6) to consolidate social structure, and (7) to support dialogical coupling. We conclude that through cultural practices the stable, “manipulable”, and public properties of objects have come to afford unprecedented modes of extended and distributed cognition.
The accelerating popularity of Charismatic Christianity has brought with it a host of new sensibi... more The accelerating popularity of Charismatic Christianity has brought with it a host of new sensibilities and ritual practices. Glossolalia, or ‘speaking in tongues,’ stands out among these as a particularly dramatic innovation. Typically staid churchgoers, once touched by the Holy Spirit, begin to utter strings of syllables that some claim to be the ‘language of angels.’ Recent neuroimaging studies have highlighted differences in the brains of subjects performing glossolalia in comparison to those same subjects singing a Church hymn. An investigation of the neural correlates of glossolalia highlights the importance of studying the bodily dimensions of ritual practice. But an informed analysis does not reduce social and behavioral complexities to physiological changes; rather, juxtaposing the correlates of human action from a variety of perspectives—in this case the social, the bodily, and the behavioral—suggests productive new approaches to the study of ritual. Having received the attentions of numerous scholars during the 20th and 21st centuries, glossolalia provides an excellent test case for this correlational approach to human action.
One of the most essential but theoretically vexing issues regarding the notion of culture is that... more One of the most essential but theoretically vexing issues regarding the notion of culture is that of cultural evolution and transmission: how a group’s accumulated solutions to invariant challenges develop and persevere over time. But at the moment, the notion of applying evolutionary theory to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest challenges for theorists is identifying the appropriate time scales and units of analysis in order to reduce the intractably large and complex phenomenon of “culture” into its component “building blocks.” In this paper, we present a model for scientifically investigating cultural processes by analyzing the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development and transmission of culture through the microcosm of interactive LEGO design and assembly.
Cognitive Anthropology has developed some powerful tools in the refinement of schema theory and c... more Cognitive Anthropology has developed some powerful tools in the refinement of schema theory and cultural models. Unfortunately, the discipline has not utilized these tools to investigate religion. The Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) has employed cognitive and evolutionary psychology towards better understanding how
the mind selects and internalizes religious representations but has not taken up schema theory as one of its techniques. This paper analyzes schema theory and the Cognitive Science of Religion with an eye towards reconciling these two methodologies in order to more comprehensively study religion. Bateson’s notions of the “ecology of mind,” Sperber’s ideas about the epidemiology of representations, and Sørensen’s concept of an immunology of cultural systems are highlighted as ways to envelop CSR methodologies into a systems-level approach. Part I reviews the development of schema theory and considers the influence of psychodynamic processes on the internalization of schemas. Part II looks at the major contributions of the Cognitive Science of Religion and points out potential criticisms of the field. Part III takes up systems-level analyses as a way to reconcile schema theory and CSR.
Gerd Jüttemann (Hrsg.): Entwicklungen der Menschheit. Integrative Humanwissenschaft als fächerverbindende Forschungskooperative. , 2014
Waffentechnik ist zentral für die kulturelle Evolution des Menschen, den durch sie schützt er sic... more Waffentechnik ist zentral für die kulturelle Evolution des Menschen, den durch sie schützt er sich vor natürlichen Bedrohungen. Im Gegensatz zu zivilen Technologien, deren Zweck in der Kontrolle und Zurichtung lebloser bzw. regulärer Naturzustände liegt, dienen Waffen primär der Willensdurchsetzung gegenüber eigenbestimmten, intentionalen Lebewesen. Diese zweckfunktionale Besonderheit begründet eine fortlaufende Höherrüstungsspirale: sie verläuft von der waffentechnischen Antizipation organischer und mentaler Fähigkeiten von Tieren zu der von Menschen hin zur Vorwegnahme der Schlagkraft von Gruppen bis zu der von Intelligenz- und Produktionsleistungen ganzer Staaten. Die Dynamik waffentechnischer Höherentwicklung erweist sich als Index und Motor kulturell-kognitiver Evolution. Einerseits spiegelt sich in ihr die organisatorisch-technische Kapazität von Kulturen wider, andererseits indiziert sie die Fähigkeiten zur mentalen Modellierung komplexer Gegnerentitäten. Als Relais eines binnen- und interkulturellen Selektionsdrucks formt die Waffentechnik Praxen, Normen, Motive und Selbstbilder des Menschen maßgeblich mit und drückt so ein integrales Prinzip der Entwicklungsgeschichte aus.
Decisions made in everyday situations are carried out in complex environments rich in socially sa... more Decisions made in everyday situations are carried out in complex environments rich in socially salient cues that influence the individual’s decisions. A wide range of experimental work coming from social psychology and behavioural economics shows, contrary to the standard economic model, that people do not always act as deliberative, rational actors. Various studies have investigated the effects of both material cues and complex environmental settings on behavioural choices. One particularly common and salient aspect of the environment involves cues related to intentional agents, whether they be our conspecifics, non-human species or supernatural beings. A number of studies have found that exposing participants to cues of agency increase prosocial or cooperative behavior. In two separate studies, we investigated the role dimensionality plays in priming inferences of agency. In contrast with previous studies utilizing 2-dimensional images, 3-dimensional representations share many more morphological elements with real life agents which may enhance the salience of the cues. Higher activation of agency detection, in turn, ought to trigger stronger reputational concerns and thus further amplify prosocial behaviour.
"Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul possesses a compelling structure; the first par... more "Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul possesses a compelling structure; the first part of the book chronologically traces the history of the soul from its basis in prehistoric thought to its canonical placement at the center of Western theological traditions, the second part of the book—in jarring contrast—outlines the developments in neuroscience and psychopharmacology that put traditional ideas about the soul to the test, and the final section of the book illustrates the ramifications of this intersection between the old and the new, the consequences of that perennial clash between science and religion. In the introduction, McGraw writes:
Why bring up the debate about the human soul once again? If thousands of years of careful thinkers could not resolve the arguments, why should we expect anything more? We can now expect better answers—or at least better arguments—because science has provided us with new tools and new information about this all-important matter.
From the visionary art of the prehistoric caves at Chauvet and Lascaux to the latest findings from The Salk Institute in La Jolla, McGraw deftly weaves history and science in an effort to understand the meaning, significance, and future of this all-important concept, crucial to so many religious traditions. Topics in the book range from “The Soul of Plato,” to “Psychoactivity”—a thorough chapter on the significance of psychoactive drugs in human history—to “After Life?”—a fascinating exploration of the conceptions of life after death. From prehistory to postmodernity, Brain & Belief seeks to understand humankind’s obsession with life, death, and the afterlife. The ambitious scope of the book is balanced by a deeply personal voice whose sympathy for both science and religion is resonant."
...McGraw covers an amazingly broad territory in this fine study. -- Daniel Liechty, author of Transference and Transcendence
...an important addition to the pantheon of popular science books... And it's a good read to boot! -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine
A stimulating narrative...and an accessible pathway to the complex intersection of science, philosophy, psychology and religion. -- Kirkus
McGraw’s work is especially noteworthy in that he combines comprehensive historical excavation with the most recent findings on brain functioning. -- Science & Theology News
This substantially documented work is a philosophical quest to make sense of the myths and realities shrouding the human soul. -- Library Journal
In a highland Maya divination ritual called pajooneem (Tz’utujil, “weighing” or “balancing”), the... more In a highland Maya divination ritual called pajooneem (Tz’utujil, “weighing” or “balancing”), the bright red seeds of the tz’ite’ tree (Erythrina corallodendron) are utilized in conjunction with the 260-day calendar known as the Cholq’iij in order to involve revered “other-than-human persons” (Hallowell 2002) in a decision-making activity. The tz’ite’ seeds serve as “mediating artifacts” (Hutchins 1995:292) that help to coordinate various elements in an “ecology of mind” (Bateson 2000). In particular, the tz’ite’ seeds serve as “material anchors” (Hutchins 2005) when, during the divination, they are grouped into clusters to stand-in for the days of the Cholq’iij calendar. In this “conceptual blend” (Fauconnier and Turner 2002) the clusters of seeds come to embody the days of the Cholq’iij. Since there are twenty distinct days in this calendar, each of which pairs with the numbers one through thirteen in the course of the 260-day cycle, the combinatorial possibilities present a clear challenge to working memory. The use of material anchors facilitates the manipulation of representations in a complex “traffic of signs” (Peirce, et al. 1982) or “semiotic ecology” (Lang 1993).
The use of objects in this ritual also helps to make the decision-making activity public and visible; this public status, coupled with a “suppression of intention” typical of the divination process itself (Du Bois 1993), further distributes the agency of the decision among the interacting elements coordinated by the ritual. This distribution of agency lessens the “normative load” on the individuals involved and invests the decision with institutional authority.
Using interview transcripts, photos, and video analysis, I consider the ways that tz’ite’ seeds mediate cognition with a spotlight on their role in decision-making practices. Ultimately, this represents a cultural practice that is far more typical than commonly appreciated: People involve themselves in each other’s decision-making and judgment via an assemblage of intersubjective and interobjective structuration processes fostered by material objects. This investigation has relevance for discussions of materiality in anthropology, distributed cognition in cognitive science, active externalism in philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of studying ritual as a dynamical system; that is, identifying the reciprocally causal relationships among the people, places, objects, and signs, an approach I have entitled “ritual ecology.”
Quartz crystals have been found in numerous Mesoamerican archaeological sites; their presence in ... more Quartz crystals have been found in numerous Mesoamerican archaeological sites; their presence in Maya assemblages has led some scholars to suggest their use in Classic Period ritual activity. Contemporary Maya peoples often use crystals for ritual purposes as well. From the earliest ethnographies to present studies, crystals show up again and again as part of the ritual specialist’s paraphernalia. As has been suggested throughout this volume in regards to the divinatory usage of mirrors, crystals play an important role in a number of scrying practices. Indeed, one Maya ritual specialist I consulted even referred to crystals as “little mirrors.” Is the preponderance of these reflective objects and the characteristics attributed to them due to tradition alone (thus supporting the direct historical approach and analogical reasoning in archaeology) or are there underlying cognitive tendencies which lead people to include crystals as important tools for ritual? Here it is suggested that the geological prevalence and unusual properties (e.g. their combination of hardness and transparency, their prismatic characteristics) of quartz crystals have led to their ritual usage in so many contexts, past and present. Such properties, as well as the “hyper-regular” nature of crystals (for instance, quartz crystals always develop a hexagonal morphology), elicit inferences about the artificial creation of crystals; they stimulate cognitive representations of anthropomorphic design and perceived order in nature. Stumbling upon a bright, sharply faceted quartz crystal is akin to finding Paley’s famous watch with its alluring insinuations of a watchmaker. These intuitive associations help to explain why crystals end up in ritual contexts more than any other stone.
Mesoamerican cosmologies have developed ideas about self using change-in-time as the principal or... more Mesoamerican cosmologies have developed ideas about self using change-in-time as the principal orientation. These approaches conceive existence to be a phenomenon of temporal organization, which is radically different in assumptions and consequences than a metaphysics based on substances. The chief consequence of this is a continuity between human beings-in-time and other living and non-living entities. One’s character and destiny are of a kind with specific animals, meteorological phenomena, places, and objects. The qualities of the timed world and the qualities of the person are one and the same. Understanding oneself, one’s role, and living well results from properly orienting oneself to this metaphysical order by embracing one’s “co-essence.”
Laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that exposure to cues of intentional agents in the... more Laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that exposure to cues of intentional agents in the form of eyes can increase prosocial behavior. However, previous research mostly used 2-dimensional depictions as experimental stimuli. Thus far no study has examined the influence of the spatial properties of agency cues on this prosocial effect. To investigate the role of dimensionality of agency cues on fairness, 345 participants engaged in a decision-making task in a naturalistic setting. The experimental treatment included a 3-dimensional pseudo-realistic model of a human head and a 2-dimensional picture of the same object. The control stimuli consisted of a real plant and its 2-D image. Our results partly support the findings of previous studies that cues of intentional agents increase prosocial behavior. However, this effect was only found for the 3-D cues, suggesting that dimensionality is a critical variable in triggering these effects in a real-world settings. Our research sheds light on a hitherto unexplored aspect of the effects of environmental cues and their morphological properties on decision-making.
Ritual theory has undergone a significant revision over the last few decades. Whereas ritual was ... more Ritual theory has undergone a significant revision over the last few decades. Whereas ritual was once discussed mainly in terms of symbolism, now the importance of ritual action is foregrounded. Many theorists consider doing rituals, rather than inferring theological subtleties supposedly implied by them, to be paramount. However, this school of thought should not be interpreted as marginalizing meaning as a fundamental category, though a basic reorientation is required: meaning comes predominantly from ritual enaction rather than from ideas or beliefs thought to be encoded and expressed in ritual. In this article, ritual action and enaction are juxtaposed in order to arrive at a set of productive comparisons between the two frameworks. As in the paradigm of enaction, it is here suggested that ritual is an important means of “bringing forth a world.”
If mind is investigated as the set of interactions that accomplish a cognitive task, that is, if ... more If mind is investigated as the set of interactions that accomplish a cognitive task, that is, if mind is more than that which occurs inside the head, then how does the interplay of biological and environmental resources produce human cognition? Informed by active externalism, joint action, and distributed cognition, we review and classify a set of cognitive processes mediated by material representations. Specifically, we ask how—in a range of everyday cognitive and cultural practices—we employ objects (1) to scaffold memory, (2) to alter cognitive complexity, (3) to facilitate epistemic experimentation, (4) to enable the division of cognitive labor, (5) to promote confidence and trust, (6) to consolidate social structure, and (7) to support dialogical coupling. We conclude that through cultural practices the stable, “manipulable”, and public properties of objects have come to afford unprecedented modes of extended and distributed cognition.
The accelerating popularity of Charismatic Christianity has brought with it a host of new sensibi... more The accelerating popularity of Charismatic Christianity has brought with it a host of new sensibilities and ritual practices. Glossolalia, or ‘speaking in tongues,’ stands out among these as a particularly dramatic innovation. Typically staid churchgoers, once touched by the Holy Spirit, begin to utter strings of syllables that some claim to be the ‘language of angels.’ Recent neuroimaging studies have highlighted differences in the brains of subjects performing glossolalia in comparison to those same subjects singing a Church hymn. An investigation of the neural correlates of glossolalia highlights the importance of studying the bodily dimensions of ritual practice. But an informed analysis does not reduce social and behavioral complexities to physiological changes; rather, juxtaposing the correlates of human action from a variety of perspectives—in this case the social, the bodily, and the behavioral—suggests productive new approaches to the study of ritual. Having received the attentions of numerous scholars during the 20th and 21st centuries, glossolalia provides an excellent test case for this correlational approach to human action.
One of the most essential but theoretically vexing issues regarding the notion of culture is that... more One of the most essential but theoretically vexing issues regarding the notion of culture is that of cultural evolution and transmission: how a group’s accumulated solutions to invariant challenges develop and persevere over time. But at the moment, the notion of applying evolutionary theory to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest challenges for theorists is identifying the appropriate time scales and units of analysis in order to reduce the intractably large and complex phenomenon of “culture” into its component “building blocks.” In this paper, we present a model for scientifically investigating cultural processes by analyzing the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development and transmission of culture through the microcosm of interactive LEGO design and assembly.
Cognitive Anthropology has developed some powerful tools in the refinement of schema theory and c... more Cognitive Anthropology has developed some powerful tools in the refinement of schema theory and cultural models. Unfortunately, the discipline has not utilized these tools to investigate religion. The Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) has employed cognitive and evolutionary psychology towards better understanding how
the mind selects and internalizes religious representations but has not taken up schema theory as one of its techniques. This paper analyzes schema theory and the Cognitive Science of Religion with an eye towards reconciling these two methodologies in order to more comprehensively study religion. Bateson’s notions of the “ecology of mind,” Sperber’s ideas about the epidemiology of representations, and Sørensen’s concept of an immunology of cultural systems are highlighted as ways to envelop CSR methodologies into a systems-level approach. Part I reviews the development of schema theory and considers the influence of psychodynamic processes on the internalization of schemas. Part II looks at the major contributions of the Cognitive Science of Religion and points out potential criticisms of the field. Part III takes up systems-level analyses as a way to reconcile schema theory and CSR.
Gerd Jüttemann (Hrsg.): Entwicklungen der Menschheit. Integrative Humanwissenschaft als fächerverbindende Forschungskooperative. , 2014
Waffentechnik ist zentral für die kulturelle Evolution des Menschen, den durch sie schützt er sic... more Waffentechnik ist zentral für die kulturelle Evolution des Menschen, den durch sie schützt er sich vor natürlichen Bedrohungen. Im Gegensatz zu zivilen Technologien, deren Zweck in der Kontrolle und Zurichtung lebloser bzw. regulärer Naturzustände liegt, dienen Waffen primär der Willensdurchsetzung gegenüber eigenbestimmten, intentionalen Lebewesen. Diese zweckfunktionale Besonderheit begründet eine fortlaufende Höherrüstungsspirale: sie verläuft von der waffentechnischen Antizipation organischer und mentaler Fähigkeiten von Tieren zu der von Menschen hin zur Vorwegnahme der Schlagkraft von Gruppen bis zu der von Intelligenz- und Produktionsleistungen ganzer Staaten. Die Dynamik waffentechnischer Höherentwicklung erweist sich als Index und Motor kulturell-kognitiver Evolution. Einerseits spiegelt sich in ihr die organisatorisch-technische Kapazität von Kulturen wider, andererseits indiziert sie die Fähigkeiten zur mentalen Modellierung komplexer Gegnerentitäten. Als Relais eines binnen- und interkulturellen Selektionsdrucks formt die Waffentechnik Praxen, Normen, Motive und Selbstbilder des Menschen maßgeblich mit und drückt so ein integrales Prinzip der Entwicklungsgeschichte aus.
Decisions made in everyday situations are carried out in complex environments rich in socially sa... more Decisions made in everyday situations are carried out in complex environments rich in socially salient cues that influence the individual’s decisions. A wide range of experimental work coming from social psychology and behavioural economics shows, contrary to the standard economic model, that people do not always act as deliberative, rational actors. Various studies have investigated the effects of both material cues and complex environmental settings on behavioural choices. One particularly common and salient aspect of the environment involves cues related to intentional agents, whether they be our conspecifics, non-human species or supernatural beings. A number of studies have found that exposing participants to cues of agency increase prosocial or cooperative behavior. In two separate studies, we investigated the role dimensionality plays in priming inferences of agency. In contrast with previous studies utilizing 2-dimensional images, 3-dimensional representations share many more morphological elements with real life agents which may enhance the salience of the cues. Higher activation of agency detection, in turn, ought to trigger stronger reputational concerns and thus further amplify prosocial behaviour.
Through a series of photos, I present some of the basic forms of ritual practice among contempora... more Through a series of photos, I present some of the basic forms of ritual practice among contemporary Mayas in the western highlands of Guatemala.
A discussion of the meaning and significance of the term "entheogen," as developed from an extrac... more A discussion of the meaning and significance of the term "entheogen," as developed from an extract of my book, Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul. This piece draws on numerous theories about the significance of entheogens in the history of religions and, in particular, for the genesis of basic religious categories and concepts, including the idea of an immaterial soul.
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Books
Why bring up the debate about the human soul once again? If thousands of years of careful thinkers could not resolve the arguments, why should we expect anything more? We can now expect better answers—or at least better arguments—because science has provided us with new tools and new information about this all-important matter.
From the visionary art of the prehistoric caves at Chauvet and Lascaux to the latest findings from The Salk Institute in La Jolla, McGraw deftly weaves history and science in an effort to understand the meaning, significance, and future of this all-important concept, crucial to so many religious traditions. Topics in the book range from “The Soul of Plato,” to “Psychoactivity”—a thorough chapter on the significance of psychoactive drugs in human history—to “After Life?”—a fascinating exploration of the conceptions of life after death. From prehistory to postmodernity, Brain & Belief seeks to understand humankind’s obsession with life, death, and the afterlife. The ambitious scope of the book is balanced by a deeply personal voice whose sympathy for both science and religion is resonant."
...McGraw covers an amazingly broad territory in this fine study. -- Daniel Liechty, author of Transference and Transcendence
...an important addition to the pantheon of popular science books... And it's a good read to boot! -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine
A stimulating narrative...and an accessible pathway to the complex intersection of science, philosophy, psychology and religion. -- Kirkus
McGraw’s work is especially noteworthy in that he combines comprehensive historical excavation with the most recent findings on brain functioning. -- Science & Theology News
This substantially documented work is a philosophical quest to make sense of the myths and realities shrouding the human soul. -- Library Journal
Dissertation
The use of objects in this ritual also helps to make the decision-making activity public and visible; this public status, coupled with a “suppression of intention” typical of the divination process itself (Du Bois 1993), further distributes the agency of the decision among the interacting elements coordinated by the ritual. This distribution of agency lessens the “normative load” on the individuals involved and invests the decision with institutional authority.
Using interview transcripts, photos, and video analysis, I consider the ways that tz’ite’ seeds mediate cognition with a spotlight on their role in decision-making practices. Ultimately, this represents a cultural practice that is far more typical than commonly appreciated: People involve themselves in each other’s decision-making and judgment via an assemblage of intersubjective and interobjective structuration processes fostered by material objects. This investigation has relevance for discussions of materiality in anthropology, distributed cognition in cognitive science, active externalism in philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of studying ritual as a dynamical system; that is, identifying the reciprocally causal relationships among the people, places, objects, and signs, an approach I have entitled “ritual ecology.”
Papers
the mind selects and internalizes religious representations but has not taken up schema theory as one of its techniques. This paper analyzes schema theory and the Cognitive Science of Religion with an eye towards reconciling these two methodologies in order to more comprehensively study religion. Bateson’s notions of the “ecology of mind,” Sperber’s ideas about the epidemiology of representations, and Sørensen’s concept of an immunology of cultural systems are highlighted as ways to envelop CSR methodologies into a systems-level approach. Part I reviews the development of schema theory and considers the influence of psychodynamic processes on the internalization of schemas. Part II looks at the major contributions of the Cognitive Science of Religion and points out potential criticisms of the field. Part III takes up systems-level analyses as a way to reconcile schema theory and CSR.
prosocial or cooperative behavior. In two separate studies, we investigated the role dimensionality plays in priming
inferences of agency. In contrast with previous studies utilizing 2-dimensional images, 3-dimensional representations share many more morphological elements with real life agents which may enhance the salience of the cues. Higher activation of agency detection, in turn, ought to trigger stronger reputational concerns and thus further amplify prosocial behaviour.
Book Reviews
Why bring up the debate about the human soul once again? If thousands of years of careful thinkers could not resolve the arguments, why should we expect anything more? We can now expect better answers—or at least better arguments—because science has provided us with new tools and new information about this all-important matter.
From the visionary art of the prehistoric caves at Chauvet and Lascaux to the latest findings from The Salk Institute in La Jolla, McGraw deftly weaves history and science in an effort to understand the meaning, significance, and future of this all-important concept, crucial to so many religious traditions. Topics in the book range from “The Soul of Plato,” to “Psychoactivity”—a thorough chapter on the significance of psychoactive drugs in human history—to “After Life?”—a fascinating exploration of the conceptions of life after death. From prehistory to postmodernity, Brain & Belief seeks to understand humankind’s obsession with life, death, and the afterlife. The ambitious scope of the book is balanced by a deeply personal voice whose sympathy for both science and religion is resonant."
...McGraw covers an amazingly broad territory in this fine study. -- Daniel Liechty, author of Transference and Transcendence
...an important addition to the pantheon of popular science books... And it's a good read to boot! -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine
A stimulating narrative...and an accessible pathway to the complex intersection of science, philosophy, psychology and religion. -- Kirkus
McGraw’s work is especially noteworthy in that he combines comprehensive historical excavation with the most recent findings on brain functioning. -- Science & Theology News
This substantially documented work is a philosophical quest to make sense of the myths and realities shrouding the human soul. -- Library Journal
The use of objects in this ritual also helps to make the decision-making activity public and visible; this public status, coupled with a “suppression of intention” typical of the divination process itself (Du Bois 1993), further distributes the agency of the decision among the interacting elements coordinated by the ritual. This distribution of agency lessens the “normative load” on the individuals involved and invests the decision with institutional authority.
Using interview transcripts, photos, and video analysis, I consider the ways that tz’ite’ seeds mediate cognition with a spotlight on their role in decision-making practices. Ultimately, this represents a cultural practice that is far more typical than commonly appreciated: People involve themselves in each other’s decision-making and judgment via an assemblage of intersubjective and interobjective structuration processes fostered by material objects. This investigation has relevance for discussions of materiality in anthropology, distributed cognition in cognitive science, active externalism in philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of studying ritual as a dynamical system; that is, identifying the reciprocally causal relationships among the people, places, objects, and signs, an approach I have entitled “ritual ecology.”
the mind selects and internalizes religious representations but has not taken up schema theory as one of its techniques. This paper analyzes schema theory and the Cognitive Science of Religion with an eye towards reconciling these two methodologies in order to more comprehensively study religion. Bateson’s notions of the “ecology of mind,” Sperber’s ideas about the epidemiology of representations, and Sørensen’s concept of an immunology of cultural systems are highlighted as ways to envelop CSR methodologies into a systems-level approach. Part I reviews the development of schema theory and considers the influence of psychodynamic processes on the internalization of schemas. Part II looks at the major contributions of the Cognitive Science of Religion and points out potential criticisms of the field. Part III takes up systems-level analyses as a way to reconcile schema theory and CSR.
prosocial or cooperative behavior. In two separate studies, we investigated the role dimensionality plays in priming
inferences of agency. In contrast with previous studies utilizing 2-dimensional images, 3-dimensional representations share many more morphological elements with real life agents which may enhance the salience of the cues. Higher activation of agency detection, in turn, ought to trigger stronger reputational concerns and thus further amplify prosocial behaviour.