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Topic: Religion Explained by Pascal Boyer (Read 1569 times) |
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MoEnzyme
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Religion Explained by Pascal Boyer
« on: 2003-06-01 04:49:40 » |
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Subj: _Religion Explained_ by Pascal Boyer Date: 5/31/2003 11:48:17 PM Central Daylight Time From: hkhenson@rogers.com (Keith Henson) Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Reply-to: memetics@mmu.ac.uk To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Perhaps this book has been mentioned here before, but I don't see any sign of it.
I am in the process of reading it right now. There are a bunch of reviews of the book, a good fraction of them scathing, a few like this. It is a work most congenial to memetics.
Keith Henson
Across the globe and throughout history, human beings have engaged in a variety of religious practices and have held a diversity of religious beliefs. These phenomena have been explained in a variety of different ways by anthropologists, psychologists, and other scholars, as well as by religious practitioners themselves, with varying degrees of success. Perhaps more puzzling, and just in need of an explanation, is the fact that human beings have religion in the first place. According to Boyer, it is only now, with recent contributions of the cognitive and neural sciences and evolutionary biology to the understanding of the nature and origins of the human mind, that we are in position to successfully provide such an explanation. Religion Explained attempts just such an explanation, drawing on cutting edge research in a variety fields and Boyer's own fieldwork experience. Religion, Boyer suggests, is a by-product of the way our minds evolved to negotiate the natural and, more importantly, the social world. Boyer's naturalistic and cognitivist approach is at variance with many established traditions in the study of the religion and his approach may seem wrong-headed to many. Be that as it may, he has produced a challenging and thought-provoking book, containing many insights that transcend what some might see as the limitations of his approach.
=============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e. g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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MoEnzyme
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Re:Religion Explained by Pascal Boyer
« Reply #1 on: 2003-06-03 15:19:50 » |
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Subj: Show me the memes Date: 6/3/2003 2:16:09 PM Central Daylight Time From: Jkr438 To: virus@lucifer.com
Subj: Re: _Religion Explained_ by Pascal Boyer Date: 6/3/2003 2:14:30 PM Central Daylight Time From: Jkr438@aol.com Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Reply-to: memetics@mmu.ac.uk To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
I remember reading this book especially the part about memes and the cognitive aspects that limited ontological violations provide in terms memory pegs in oral traditions.
I have thought we can expand this into meme memory pegs based on embodied biological experience. A philosophy in the flesh so to speak of memetics. For example how many times does a story metaphorically refer to gastronomic functions to make a point? can we quantify and or categorize these occurrences? . . . breathing in the spirit? . . .or an oral fixation? A flood of sexual congress with the memes we drink, and tasting their sweetness in your wet lips. Hearing the roar of the river of refreshing wetness that flows between the great enveloping libidinous slips in the peaceful valley of your corporeal sea of sensual tasty delights. Completing its journey through the turgid firmness of your supple muscular flesh caressed by the loving tender hand of your favorite lover. Seeing the eye candy in the frame on the wall and vicariously drinking in its succulent sweetness though my torpidly warm sensuous eyes.
etc. . . etc. . .
just transparently show me, for seeing is believing, and enlightenment sometimes comes with sunglasses when needed.
etc.
or do we really remember the ontological violations that much better? Can your really imagine going to bed with a supernaturalism? Are we even THAT lonely? Everyone hurts, I imagine.
Show me the memes. Love,-Jake
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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