Difference between revisions of "Tem"

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==22/23 MAR==
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==11: OCT 6==
  
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===Sosis, "The Adaptive Value of Religion"===
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===Assigned===
  
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:*How do you explain aspects of religious behavior that appear to be madness?
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:*Haidt, Chapter 5, "Beyond WEIRD Morality" (17)
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::*Early anthropology.  negative, Malinowski's view, couldn't explain ritual
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:*Writing exercise: How WEIRD is Morality?
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:*Behavior ecology of religion: typical question: Why does particular behaviors persist in a human population?
 
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::*"Optimal foraging theory" suggests we optimize our energy exchanges with an environment (in food sourcing for example).  Likewise, maybe other behaviors....
 
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::*Related hard to explain behavior in nature: Stotting behavior
 
  
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:*What are religious rituals?
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===Brief Survey on Student Engagement in Hybrid course delivery===
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::*rituals are a form of communication of commitment to both in group and out group members. 168
 
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::*"costly signal theory" (Zahavi, explaining odd behaviors like stotting and rattling, warning signals)
 
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::*study of relationship between costly requirements and longevity of communes in 19thc US.
 
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::*higher commitment in a group is related to realizing group goals.  Applied to religion.  . .
 
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::*It's possible that a religion will fail by not imposing costly requirements.  note on Vatican II p. 170.
 
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::*religious vs. secular kibbutzim
 
  
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:*Shekel game research
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:*Please take the following anonymous [https://gonzaga.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3I98g1ecsTe59ZP survey].
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::*game and results
 
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::*gender diffs: note that wisdom cultures do not necessarily make similar opportunities available to all genders. implications?
 
  
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:*"Dark side" of promoting cooperation by promoting costly commitments
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===Final Stage of Sapolsky Writing Assignment===
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::*[some of the commitments are problematic for some members of the community]
 
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::*may promote inter-group conflict
 
  
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===Wilson, David Sloan. "Chapter 4: The Secular Utility of Religion: historical examples"===
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:*'''Stage 4''': Back-evaluation: After you receive your peer comments and my evaluation, take a few minutes to fill out this quick "back evaluation" rating form: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgKCYITDTSOOHcvC3TAVNK-EZDsP4jiiyPj-7jdpRoNUsLPA/viewform?usp=sf_link].  '''Fill out the form for each reviewer, but not Alfino.'''  Up to 10 points, in Points.
  
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:*Some background on this Wilson: group selection advocate
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::*Back evaluations are due '''Thursday, October 8, 11:59pm'''.
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:*Theoretical claim: The demise of group selection theories keeps us from seeing the secular utility of religion in a way similar to Darwin's inability to see evidence for glaciers in absence of theory of glaciation.
 
  
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:*Example 1: Water Temple System in Bali
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===Some samples from Henrich's, "The Weirdest People on Earth"===
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::*water religion and irrigation; the "subak" 127, egalitarian as hunter/gathers often are, but the water system involves hierarchy.  problem of management of a common good.  tragedy of the commons... note that the agricultural system was separate from politics.  rare.
 
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::*religious figures "Jero Gde" function also as ag extention agents.
 
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::*system requirements, p. 127-8.  justice issues as well as practical problems.
 
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::*Neither Dutch colonists nor Green improved on Balinese water system.  Lansing simluation to show efficiency of model. 130
 
  
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:*Example 2: Judaism
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:*p. 25: "Who Am I?" task.  Show charts
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::*recalls his speculative theses that golden rule and 10 commandments are almost certainly adaptive for groups.
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:*p. 28: sociocentric vs. individualistic
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::*Key features of Judaism:  injunction to multiply and two sets of rules: one for intra group interaction, the other for out group policy.
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:*p. 34: guilt vs. shame
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::*conflicting advice: ethics of host; ethics of warrior.
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:*p. 44: impersonal honesty research (recall Ariely).   
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::*assessment: in group / out group morality is hypocritical relative to our current ideals, but we need to look at it to see the mechanisms of selection at work among groups and cultures.
 
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::*isolation mechanisms within Judaism: 136-7.  Including gene-culture effects from cultural selection.
 
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::*this example suggests that cultural isolation mechanisms of religion might be part of the mechanism for group effectiveness.  (such as endogamy, required conversion)
 
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::*note at 138: very concerned not to play into anti-Semitic criticism of Jews.  Groups really do compete in different ways.
 
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::*literary example, Isaac Singer: image of cultural disgust.   
 
  
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:*Example 3: Early Christianity
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===Haidt, Chapter 5, "Beyond WEIRD Morality"===
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::*Stark's population theory of Christianity: at 40% per decade, on the high end of the range (like periods in contemporary Mormonism).   
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::*Basic theory, p. 148: Early Christianity became attractive to Jews and Gentiles because it offered continuity with Judaism and reformed rules that made inter-ethnic religion possible.  Empirical evidence that growth of early Christianity was more influenced by Judaism than Roman culture.  149: growth of christianity correlates with jewish influence, negatively with Roman.
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====WEIRD Morality====
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::*Christianity offered a competitive alternative to the social disorganization of life in many Roman cities, such as Antioch. cultural practices like high female infanticide; high ratio of males, cultural values about status and lineage; all cited as dysfunctional at this time and opposed by early Christians.
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:*WEIRD morality is the morality of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic cultures
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::*Functioned like "cells" to isolate social networks of people willing to submit to moral rules and observances.  high level of care during outbreaks of illness; differential survival.  quote at 154 and 155 (mentioin perputua and felicitas)
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::*just as likely to be bothered by taboo violations, but more likely to set aside feelings of disgust and allow violations
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::*only group with majority allowing chicken story violation.
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::*"the weirder you are the more likely you are to see the world in terms of separate objects, rather than relationships"  "sociocentric" moralities vs. individualistic moralities; Enlightenment moralities of Kant and Mill are rationalist, individualist, and universalist.   
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::*survey data on East/West differences in sentence completion: "I am..."
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::*framed-line task 97
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:*Kantian and Millian ethical thought is rationalist, rule based, and universalist.  Just the ethical theory you would expect from the culture.   
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====A 3 channel moral matrix====
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:*Schweder's anthropology: ethics of autonomy, community, divinity 99-100 - gloss each...
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::*claims Schweder's theory predicts responses on taboo violation tests, is descriptively accurate.
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::*ethic of divinity: body as temple vs. playground
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::*vertical dimension to values.  explains reactions to flag desecration, piss Christ, thought exp: desecration of liberal icons.  (Note connection to contemporary conflicts, such as the Charlie Hebdot massacre.)
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====Making Sense of Moral/Cultural Difference====
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:*'''Haidt's Bhubaneswar experience''': diverse (intense) continua of moral values related to purity. (opposite of disgust). Confusing at first, but notice that he started to like his hosts (elephant) and then started to think about how their values might work.  Stop and think about how a mind might create this.   Detail about airline passenger.
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:*Theorizing with Paul Rozin on the right model for thinking about moral foundations: "Our theory, in brief" (103)
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:*American politics often about sense of "sacrilege", not just about defining rights (autonomy).  Not just harm, but types of moral disgust.
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:*'''Stepping out of the Matrix''':  H's metaphor for seeing his own cultural moral values as more "contingent" than before, when it felt like the natural advocacy of what seem true and right.  Reports growing self awareness of liberal orientation of intellectual culture in relation to Shweder's view.  Social conservatives made more sense to him after studying in India.  
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===Small Group Discussion===
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:*Discussion questions:
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::*Does it make sense to talk about "stepping out of a matrix"? Is this a temporary thing?  What value might it have in your experience?
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::*Do you have a parallel story to Haidt's? (Mention travel experiences.)

Latest revision as of 19:51, 6 October 2020

11: OCT 6

Assigned

  • Haidt, Chapter 5, "Beyond WEIRD Morality" (17)
  • Writing exercise: How WEIRD is Morality?

Brief Survey on Student Engagement in Hybrid course delivery

  • Please take the following anonymous survey.

Final Stage of Sapolsky Writing Assignment

  • Stage 4: Back-evaluation: After you receive your peer comments and my evaluation, take a few minutes to fill out this quick "back evaluation" rating form: [1]. Fill out the form for each reviewer, but not Alfino. Up to 10 points, in Points.
  • Back evaluations are due Thursday, October 8, 11:59pm.

Some samples from Henrich's, "The Weirdest People on Earth"

  • p. 25: "Who Am I?" task. Show charts
  • p. 28: sociocentric vs. individualistic
  • p. 34: guilt vs. shame
  • p. 44: impersonal honesty research (recall Ariely).

Haidt, Chapter 5, "Beyond WEIRD Morality"

WEIRD Morality

  • WEIRD morality is the morality of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic cultures
  • just as likely to be bothered by taboo violations, but more likely to set aside feelings of disgust and allow violations
  • only group with majority allowing chicken story violation.
  • "the weirder you are the more likely you are to see the world in terms of separate objects, rather than relationships" "sociocentric" moralities vs. individualistic moralities; Enlightenment moralities of Kant and Mill are rationalist, individualist, and universalist.
  • survey data on East/West differences in sentence completion: "I am..."
  • framed-line task 97
  • Kantian and Millian ethical thought is rationalist, rule based, and universalist. Just the ethical theory you would expect from the culture.

A 3 channel moral matrix

  • Schweder's anthropology: ethics of autonomy, community, divinity 99-100 - gloss each...
  • claims Schweder's theory predicts responses on taboo violation tests, is descriptively accurate.
  • ethic of divinity: body as temple vs. playground
  • vertical dimension to values. explains reactions to flag desecration, piss Christ, thought exp: desecration of liberal icons. (Note connection to contemporary conflicts, such as the Charlie Hebdot massacre.)

Making Sense of Moral/Cultural Difference

  • Haidt's Bhubaneswar experience: diverse (intense) continua of moral values related to purity. (opposite of disgust). Confusing at first, but notice that he started to like his hosts (elephant) and then started to think about how their values might work. Stop and think about how a mind might create this. Detail about airline passenger.
  • Theorizing with Paul Rozin on the right model for thinking about moral foundations: "Our theory, in brief" (103)
  • American politics often about sense of "sacrilege", not just about defining rights (autonomy). Not just harm, but types of moral disgust.
  • Stepping out of the Matrix: H's metaphor for seeing his own cultural moral values as more "contingent" than before, when it felt like the natural advocacy of what seem true and right. Reports growing self awareness of liberal orientation of intellectual culture in relation to Shweder's view. Social conservatives made more sense to him after studying in India.

Small Group Discussion

  • Discussion questions:
  • Does it make sense to talk about "stepping out of a matrix"? Is this a temporary thing? What value might it have in your experience?
  • Do you have a parallel story to Haidt's? (Mention travel experiences.)
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