Tem

22/23 MAR

Behavior ecology of religion: typical question: Why does particular behaviors persist in a human population?

"Optimal foraging theory" suggests we optimize our energy exchanges with an environment (in food sourcing for example). Likewise, maybe other behaviors....
Related hard to explain behavior in nature: Stotting behavior

rituals are a form of communication of commitment to both in group and out group members. 168
"costly signal theory" (Zahavi, explaining odd behaviors like stotting and rattling, warning signals)
study of relationship between costly requirements and longevity of communes in 19thc US.
higher commitment in a group is related to realizing group goals. Applied to religion. . .
It's possible that a religion will fail by not imposing costly requirements. note on Vatican II p. 170.
religious vs. secular kibbutzim

game and results
gender diffs: note that wisdom cultures do not necessarily make similar opportunities available to all genders. implications?

Some background on this Wilson: group selection advocate
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.

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.
religious figures "Jero Gde" function also as ag extention agents.
system requirements, p. 127-8. justice issues as well as practical problems.
Neither Dutch colonists nor Green improved on Balinese water system. Lansing simluation to show efficiency of model. 130

recalls his speculative theses that golden rule and 10 commandments are almost certainly adaptive for groups.
Key features of Judaism: injunction to multiply and two sets of rules: one for intra group interaction, the other for out group policy.
conflicting advice: ethics of host; ethics of warrior.
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.
isolation mechanisms within Judaism: 136-7. Including gene-culture effects from cultural selection.
this example suggests that cultural isolation mechanisms of religion might be part of the mechanism for group effectiveness. (such as endogamy, required conversion)
note at 138: very concerned not to play into anti-Semitic criticism of Jews. Groups really do compete in different ways.
literary example, Isaac Singer: image of cultural disgust.

Stark's population theory of Christianity: at 40% per decade, on the high end of the range (like periods in contemporary Mormonism).
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.
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.
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)