The Nostalgia for Origins

The Nostalgia for Origins

Religion, Evolution, Cognition and Memory

By Carl Olson

This book examines a possible source for the origin of religion, using the theory of evolution and findings from cognitive science. It adds a theory of power to suggest the agency of early Homo sapiens.

Hardback, 166 Pages

ISBN:9781839990519

June 2024

£80.00, $110.00

  • About This Book
  • Reviews
  • Author Information
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  • Table of Contents
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About This Book

This book proposes to examine the nature of religion by seeking its origin within the context of the theory of evolution and the development of the human brain. It is argued that religion is the way the mechanism of natural selection in the theory of evolution operates to help humans survive in the context of a dangerous and hostile world. Survival is accomplished when profound experiences like trance cause a rewiring of the brain, giving birth to what later is identified as religious attitudes and ways of behaving. It is possible to speculate that without the development of religion, humans might not have survived to create cultures and civilizations. Therefore, the development of religion makes it possible for early humans to thrive. This evolutionary process involved adaptation to one’s environment, creation of social groups, and development of the body and the brain.
There are also other neglected aspects of evolution not discussed by previous theorists. The implications of the embodied nature of human beings are not always stressed by cognitive theorists. What they more specifically tend to neglect is that human bodies are chemical factories. It is numerous chemicals created within the body that contribute to the development of religious experiences. Another neglected aspect of those influenced by the theory of evolution is that early humans exerted a will to power to survive. This so-called will to power is a process of empowerment with the goal of enabling humans to become strong and powerful enough to survive. This will to power is not something metaphysical but is rather part of the dynamic of natural selection. It is possible to think of the proposed will to power within the operation of evolution as a thought experiment with the goal of enriching the theory of evolution.
With a review of the so-called Big Bang theory about the beginning of the universe, Darwin’s theory of evolution, the quest for the birth of religion, and the cognitive contribution to this quest, the initial chapter commences a major theme of this book, namely the importance of origins. It includes an examination of the problematic nature of religion from a comparative perspective. Pre-historical times witnessed early Homo sapiens surrounded by danger as they attempted to survive. For our human ancestors, religion was not a way to get rich or to distinguish oneself from others, it was a means of survival. This was a perfectly natural development and response to one’s hostile environment.

Reviews

“In this engaging book, Carl Olson presents a view of religion in terms of evolution and power that needs to be read. While not everyone will agree with it, this book expresses its view with clarity and conviction.” —Gavin Flood, Oxford University, UK.

“The book makes an original, very provocative and useful contribution to the study of religion. At the core, the author uses an evolutionary model of the origin of Homo sapiens and religion, a story in which religion makes its appearance as a human creation at the beginning of evolutionary human history. This argument has been supported by a wide range of areas of scholarship, covering anthropology, history, evolutionary theory, studies of bodies and brains and cognition.” —Dr. Will Braun, University of Alberta, Canada. 

Author Information

Professor Carl Olson teaches at Allegheny College. Besides numerous essays in journals, books, and encyclopedias, he has published 20 books on subjects such as Hinduism, Buddhism, comparative philosophy, and method and theory in the study of religion.

Series

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Table of Contents

Preface; 1. The Prestige of Origins; 2. Power and Empowerment; 3. The Origins of Life, Body, Brain, and Religious Experience; 4. Origins, Ritual, Agency, and Memory; 5. Is There a Future for Religion?; Notes; Index

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