Supernaturalizing Social Life

摘要: This paper examines three ancient traits of religion whose origins likely date back to the Upper Paleolithic: ancestor worship, shamanism, and belief in natural animal spirits. Evidence for emergence these coincides with evidence a dramatic advance human social cooperation. It is argued that played role evolution cooperation through mechanism scrutiny. Social scrutiny an effective means reducing individualism enhancing prosocial behavior. Religion’s most represent extension world into supernatural, thus reinforcing within-group by ever-vigilant spiritual monitors. Believing spirits were always watching may have helped reduce number non-cooperators within group while behavioral norms, allowing humanlike levels emerge.