
Morality and the Gods
Benjamin Grant Purzycki(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 10. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
90 pages
978-1-009-41402-9 (ISBN)
Description
The relationship between religion and morality has been a steadfast topic of inquiry since the dawn of the social sciences. This Element probes how the social sciences have addressed this relationship by detailing how theory and method have evolved over the past few generations. Sections 1 and 2 examine the historical roots of cross-cultural inquiry and Section 3 addresses the empirical tools developed to address cross-cultural patterns statistically. Sections 4-6 address how the contemporary evolutionary social sciences have been addressing the role religious cognition, behaviour, and beliefs play on moral conduct. By critically examining the tools and theories specifically developed to answer questions about the evolution of morality, society, and the gods, this Element shows that much of our current knowledge about this relationship has been significantly shaped by our cultural history as a field. It argues that the relationship between religion and morality is, despite considerable diversity in form, quite common around the world.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 6 mm
Weight
145 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-41402-9 (9781009414029)
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Benjamin Grant Purzycki
Morality and the Gods
Book
07/2025
Cambridge University Press
€75.30
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Person
Content
1. Introduction; 2. History and Ethnography; 3. Societal Typologies and the Quantification of Culture; 4. Cognition and Religion; 5. The Evolution of Religious Behaviour; 6. The Evolution of Religious Beliefs; 7. Conclusion; References.