The Bright Side of Religion

Evolutionists are famous for being at odds with religion. However, a current movement in the field of evolutionary studies focuses on using evolution to help understand religion, as opposed to simply having ideological debates that can be draining. This chapter focuses on exactly this approach: using evolutionary principles to shed light on the nature of religious experiences. From this perspective, religion can be understood in terms of its ability to help cultivate social groups in which individuals take an other-oriented approach. Implications for understanding all kinds of human groups are discussed, with an eye toward demarcating principles that lead to positive group outcomes.