Journal article

Did natural selection select for true religious beliefs?

Abstract:: Although it is commonly accepted that Darwinian evolution could select for true common-sense beliefs, it is altogether less certain that the same can be said for other classes of beliefs, such as moral or religious beliefs. This issue takes centre stage in debates concerning evolutionary debunking arguments against religious beliefs, where the rationality of beliefs is often dependent upon their production by an evolved faculty that is sensitive to truth. In this article, we consider whether evolution selected for true religious beliefs. We begin by highlighting the relevance of this question for broader philosophy of religion, then present a dialogue of arguments and counter-arguments for and against the proposition that true religious beliefs generate pragmatic success and hence can be selected for by evolution.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Van Eyghen, H., & Bennett, C. T. (2020). Did natural selection select for true religious beliefs? Religious Studies, 58(1), 113–137.

MLA Style

Van Eyghen, H., and C. T. Bennett. “Did Natural Selection Select for True Religious Beliefs?” Religious Studies, vol. 58, no. 1, Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp. 113–37.

Chicago Style

Van Eyghen, H, and CT Bennett. 2020. “Did Natural Selection Select for True Religious Beliefs?” Religious Studies 58 (1): 113–37.
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Files:: Van_Eyghen_and_Bennett_2020_Did_natural_selection.pdf

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Publisher copy:: 10.1017/s0034412520000141

Authors

+ Van Eyghen, H More by this author

Role:: Author
ORCID:: 0000-0002-2971-554X

+ Bennett, CT More by this author

Institution:: University of Oxford
Division:: HUMS
Department:: Theology Faculty
Role:: Author

Publisher:: Cambridge University Press
Journal:: Religious Studies More from this journal
Volume:: 58
Issue:: 1
Pages:: 113-137
Publication date:: 2020-06-17
Acceptance date:: 2020-05-10
DOI:: 10.1017/s0034412520000141
EISSN:: 1469-901X
ISSN:: 0034-4125

Language:: English
Keywords:: FFR
Pubs id:: 1120991
Local pid:: pubs:1120991
Deposit date:: 2020-07-24

Terms of use

Copyright holder:: Van Eyghen and Bennett
Copyright date:: 2020
Rights statement:: © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence, which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited.

Licence:: CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

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