Oxford Humanists: a Humanists UK Local Group

Religion is one of the most debated features of human life around the world. Discussions are often polarised between theologians defending faith and New Atheists dismantling it entirely, leaving little room for a scientific, psychological approach to understanding the "why" of religion. What if we step back and ask: what does the research actually tell us about why humans are religious, non-religious, or 'spiritual but not religious'? How do our minds, our cultures, and our life circumstances shape faith, doubt, and other worldviews, including secular and humanist ones?
This talk takes a whirlwind tour through the contemporary cognitive and evolutionary science of religion, non-religion, and spirituality. We will consider questions such as: why did religion develop in human history, and why does it appear across so many cultures globally? What psychological needs, existential, social, and emotional, drive religious commitment, and how do those needs vary with cultural context, personal security, and life experience? What is the difference between the known earliest forms of religion and the diverse shapes religion takes today? How does atheism emerge, and can it be explained within the theoretical frameworks we use to explain religion? Do cognitive biases contribute to supernatural beliefs, and if so, which? What happens in the brain during religious experience, prayer, and ritual? Are religious rituals special, or can secular equivalents do the same job?

Dr Valerie van Mulukom is a humanist and Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University. She has more than 10 years experience in the cognitive science of religion, nonreligion and spirituality, and has published more than 30 articles, one edited volume, and numerous chapters on this and related topics. Her work was featured in BBC Future, IFLScience, Newsweek, i newspaper, and many others.

The event is free to attend, but donations welcome to cover running costs. Please register via Meetup or better still, register via our webpage:
https://humanists.uk/events/why-religion-a-whirlwind-tour-of-the-cognitive-science-of-nonreligion-with-valerie-van-mulukom-oxford-humanists/