The Evolutionary Biology of Religion
Details
Join Mitchell Diamond in Mountain View, where he will discuss and answer questions, OR join us on Zoom.
Academics in the cognitive science of religion (CSR) field disagree about the origin and purpose of religion. Their theories fall into several camps. The most popular are:
- to enhance social cohesion and cooperation
- through mythologies religion functions to explain the existential
mysteries—purpose of life, what happens after we die, etc. - Religion is a byproduct of other evolved cognitive features and
itself doesn’t have any function at all.
In this talk, Diamond briefly explains why these CSR theories are flawed and insufficient and offers a science-based alternative, specifically addressing why religion evolved biologically, and why it's evolutionarily adaptive.
Diamond received a BA in biology with a focus on behavioral and evolutionary biology. He has extensively researched the prevailing cognitive science of religion theories and stumbled upon an explanation for the evolution of religion that better fits the evidence. He’s given talks to many of the atheist and freethinker groups in Northern California and has appeared on atheist podcasts including The Atheist Experience with Tracie Harris.
----------
***
***
Attend in Person:
You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch. If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.
***
# ----------
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, go to
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81653890712?pwd=QzN4MTVNbGEwQ0Zua3d1VG9tVE50UT09
No password is needed -- our host will admit you from the waiting room.
Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it's not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634
Join the meeting by phone. +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call here:
***
Add this event to your calendar: https://www.addevent.com/event/Dw19797146
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scottwakefield1_the-evolutionary-biology-of-religion-sun-activity-7148864286163939328-8RPu
RSVP on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/298343746/
Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1743097448883708279
Humanist Community website:http://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-01-07/
Videos of previous forums: https://vimeo.com/hcsv/
To help our Forum series continue, please consider making a donation or becoming a member ([http://www.humanists.org/blog/membership/)](http://www.humanists.org/blog/membership/)) of the Humanist Community.
***
If you would like to speak at a Humanist Forum, or know someone who would, or there is a topic you think we should discuss, please let us know by emailing [vp@humanists.org](mailto:vp@humanists.org) or [havasy@live.com](mailto:havasy@live.com).
The Evolutionary Biology of Religion