British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Social Brain, Distributed Mind
Abstract
Evolutionary Signalling Theory and Religion:
Recent Advances and Future Directions
Richard Sosis (Connecticutt)
Economists, cognitive scientists, sociologists, philosophers, and evolutionary anthropologists have converged in applying signalling theory to model and explain religious behaviour – behaviour that is puzzling from the perspective of the egoistic-based models employed in these disciplines (e.g., rational choice and evolutionary game theory). Here I survey recent developments in the evolutionary application of signalling theory to religious phenomena and clarify several misunderstandings of the theory. I also critically examine the comparative, ethnohistorical, and experimental data that have been brought to bear on the theory. While generally supportive of the application of signalling theory to religious behaviour, these data also highlight various shortcomings of the theory and suggest avenues for further theoretical development. I conclude with a discussion about the relevance of these data for resolving current debates concerning whether or not religion is adaptive.