God's Brain by Lionel Tiger

Author:Lionel Tiger
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781633883383
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 2017-11-16T05:00:00+00:00

THE GREAT CHAIN OF BELIEF

The second way deals with belief, deception, and hierarchy. Although atheists and members of different religions may be highly skeptical, even openly critical, of the practices and beliefs of other religions and their members—how many Christians believe that a group of virgins awaits them as a reward for religious martyrdom as some Muslims do?—members of religions generally do the opposite. They grant unusual authority to those high in their religion's hierarchy and they readily accept their religion's prevailing dogma. They believe, take advice from, and generally revere or at least respect those members of their religion who have been ordained with high status. Such individuals exhibit a surprising willingness to relinquish their normal skepticism about the possibility of deception. Surely some internal mechanism makes this possible.

And why might believers be so willing to grant authority and insight to religious authorities? A key point here is that both deception and its detection are strongly influenced by social rank. The higher a person's social rank, the more likely his deceptions will go undetected (apart, of course, from such formal detectives as members of the press and more recently tax authorities). Conversely, the lower a person's social rank, the more likely he will not detect a deception and the less likely his deceptions will be successful. An obvious implication of these points is that those high in religious authority are well positioned to deceive, especially if they deliver the news that their messages derive from a supreme being to which everyone is equally beholden. Conversely, those lower in the hierarchy are positioned to believe. A factor in their willingness to do so is their suspension of the precautions against deception that are available to use. Again, the social brain at work.13

There is still more. Reciprocity ascends to another level of complexity when one attributes a personality to a god or some other imagined higher authority. This is especially so if one believes that certain behaviors are required to please one's deity. Parameters change dramatically: there is a unique form of reciprocity between a member of a religion and his god. By working, fighting sin, proselytizing, living according to a religion's rules, and so on, a member helps his god. In turn, his god provides special favors, both in the present through one's certification as a member of his flock and possibly, even presumably, also in an afterlife. Most important perhaps, concerns about deception disappear. Would a god deceive?

And where are the brain and stress in all of this?

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