The Social Transmission of Moral and Religious Beliefs
Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Flakne, April
Keywords
Nietzsche, Friedriche, Will to Power, Evolutionary Psychology, Sexual Selection, Inferences, Cognition, Genes, Evolution, Memes, Dawkins, Richard, Miller, Geoffrey, Boyer, Pascal, Philosophy, Morality, Ethics, Religion
Area of Concentration
Philosophy
Abstract
This thesis looks at the social transmission of moral and religious beliefs in response to Richard Dawkins's theory of memes. Memes are much too simplistic because they do not account for variations in the ideas that are common to most people within a population or for the ability to decide to believe less memorable ideas. In order to provide a more thorough account of the social transmission of moral and religious beliefs, which does not fall prey to these short-comings, the theories of Friedrich Nietzsche, Geoffrey Miller, and Pascal Boyer are discussed and combined. Each theorist discusses a different component of the individual's role in social transmission--social, biological and cognitive--and each theorist solves some of the problems existing in the other theories. These theorists each illuminate genealogical components of social transmission's evolution or deevolution as the case may be. This genealogical illustration loosens the constraints that the institutions of morality and religion have on individuals and can be used as a tactic to channel the existing world views in order to learn from them. Furthermore, genealogy as tactic can be combined with the three theories in order to provide the possibility for individuals to be active participants in social transmission, rather than merely reactive carriers and conveyers of information.
Recommended Citation
Crafa, Daina, "The Social Transmission of Moral and Religious Beliefs" (2004). Theses & ETDs. 3368.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/3368
Rights
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