More explanations for why we believe in gods

Todd Tremlin of Central Michigan Umiversity has written a book on why human beings are predisposed to believe in gods (Minds and Gods: The Cognitive Foundations of Religion). The recent review in Nature (by Kruger and Konner) points out that there is much to admire in the book, in particular its explanation that human minds are predisposed by evolutionary considerations to detect agents everywhere and that human minds have a Theory of Mind Module that is very adroit, and unique in the animal kingdom. I find that explanation compelling but, like the reviewers yearn for a more complex explanation that illuminates the powerful emotions that belief in god(s) elicits.


Pascal Boyer's 'Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought' is still for me one of the most insightful books on this topic. As time passes, we will, of course, come to understand more clearly the things in human evolution history that predispose us to believe in god(s).