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Mind God's mind: History, development, and teaching.

Andreas Demetriou¹, Nikos Makris², Dimitris Pnevmatikos³

¹Department of Social Sciences,University of Nicosia,Egkomi 1700,Cyprus.ademetriou@ucy.ac.cyhttp://www.unic.ac.cy/

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|March 8, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Belief in Big Gods may not have driven societal growth; instead, larger societies might have fostered belief in Big Gods. Basic theory of mind (ToM) alone is insufficient for understanding Big Gods, requiring deeper cognitive insights.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Evolutionary Psychology
Sociology

Background:

Theories suggest belief in "Big Gods" (supernatural agents with moral concerns) facilitated the development of large-scale human societies.
Understanding the cognitive underpinnings of religious beliefs is crucial for explaining human social evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To challenge the causal link between "Big God" beliefs and the rise of large societies.
To explore the cognitive requirements for conceptualizing "Big Gods" beyond basic theory of mind (ToM).

Main Methods:

Critical analysis of existing theories on religion and social complexity.
Theoretical examination of cognitive capacities necessary for complex supernatural agent concepts.

Main Results:

The direction of causality may be inverted: large societies potentially facilitated "Big God" beliefs.
Basic theory of mind (ToM) is necessary but not sufficient for conceiving "Big Gods"; other mental state understandings are required.

Conclusions:

The relationship between "Big God" beliefs and societal size is complex and potentially bidirectional.
Advanced cognitive abilities, beyond basic ToM, are implicated in the development of complex religious concepts.
Theory of mind (ToM) remains a valuable framework for religious education.