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Title: Civilizations and world religions


1
Civilizations and world religions
  • 1. Lecture
  • The framework of the subject
  • phenomena and evolutionary theory of
    ethnocentrism

2
F. Fukuyama The end of history thesis
  • We may wittnessing the end of history as such
    that is the end point of mankinds ideological
    evolution and the universalization of Western
    liberal democracy as the final form of human
    government. ... Some conflicts may happan in
    places in the Third World, but the global
    conflict is over and not just in EuropeThe war
    of ideas is at an end also. Believers in
    Marxist-Leninism may still exist in places like
    Managua, Pyongyang, and Cambridge, Massachusetts,
    but overall liberal democracy has triumphed. The
    future will be devoted not to great exhilarating
    struggles over ideas but rather to resolving
    mundane economic and technical problems. It will
    all be rather boring.
  • F. Fukuyama

3
S. Huntington The clash of civilization thesis
  • There are two important theme of the future
    First, the crucial impact of population growth on
    instability and balance of power. The second,
    clashes of civilizations are the greatest threats
    to world peace, and an international order based
    on civilizations is the safeguard against world
    war.
  • The civilizations will have to learn to live side
    by side in peaceful interexchange, learning from
    each others history and ideals, and art and
    culture , mutually enriching each others lives.
    The alternative , in this overcrowed little world
    is, misunderstanding, tension, clash, and
    catastrophe.

4
What gives the particular importance of these
topics?
  • First of all, we should raise three basic
    questions and find the proper answers to them
  • 1st question what makes our world move?
  • 2nd question what or who are the subjects of the
    development?
  • 3rd question should one expect a radical or
    profound change in all of this?
  • In this context the collective identity and the
    changes of collective identity in the history has
    a special importance.
  • These questions could be analysed from several
    points of view
  • What is a territorial or regional organisation
    (state, nation) like?
  • What is a spiritual (ideological) organisation
    (e.g. a religion) like?
  • What is a social organisation on the basis of a
    life-programme (culture, values)?

5
The general framework-modell of the lectures
Nations, states and communities
Spiritual communities
Civilizations
Religions
Ethnocentrism
Territorial organizations
Spiritual organizations
Culture
Life-programme- organizations
Values
6
Assessment process
Obligatory literature Civilizations and
world-religions and the History of political
ideas ppt-presentations on the web-page
www.marosan.com Recommended literature Marosán
György. (2006) Hogyan készül a történelem?
Money-Plan kft The course implies an exam. There
are two components of the mark an essay and a
written exam. If someone participates at least 3
lectures from the 5, and writes an acceptable
essay at home, then he or she could receive a
mark after his or her essay, (that is no written
exam needed then). When someone does not
participate enough lectures, and/or his or her
essay is not acceptable or is not good enough,
then he or she must make a written exam too. The
topic/theme of the essay must be in a connection
with the subject matter of the course, and it
should be an analysis of a definite, designed
topic, or movie. The essay must be of 2600 words
long, the dead-line is 17. december, 2012.
7
Topics and treatments of essays
  • Everybody should write two essays one from
    Civilizations and World-religions and another
    from History of Political Ideas.
  • The topic of the first essay one should watch a
    film, (which is set in the case of each student
    individually), then write an essay concerning the
    topic or theme of the movie, (perhaps a
    recommendation of 20 lines at the end of the
    essay).
  • The topic of the second essay the decisive
    events of 21st century on the basis of articles
    and news downloaded from the internet. The
    student must choose 5 news, events or articles,
    and write an essay on its ground.
  • Both essays should be unbiassed, objective,
    multisided.

8
Movie-titles.Possible themes for essay
  • Ütközések (USA)
  • Hullám (N)
  • Ajami (Izraeli film)
  • Bader Meinhoff csoport (N)
  • Eper és vér (USA)
  • Michael Collins (USA)
  • Aki szelet vet (USA)
  • Az Én 20. századom (M)
  • Az összeesküvés (Wansee-i konferencia (USA)
  • Megfoghatatlan. (Il Divó) Andreotti film (O)
  • Bukás (N)
  • A kelet, az kelet. (A)
  • Lövés utána csend. (N)
  • Hotel Ruanda. (USA)
  • Milk (homoszexuális politikusról) (USA)
  • Hideg napok (M)
  • Jó éjszakát, jó szerencsét. (USA)
  • Vera Drake (A abortusz)
  • Más ember élete (N)
  1. 141 perc a Befejezetlen mondatból. (M Déri
    könyv)
  2. 20 óra Sánta Ferenc film
  3. Márvány ember (L)
  4. A nemzet színe-java. (USA)
  5. Z, avagy egy politikai gyilkosság anatómiája
    (Francia- görög?)
  6. Ítélet Nürnbergben (A)
  7. Karmester (Szabó István)
  8. Luther (N)
  9. Makk Károly Szerelem,
  10. McCharty korszakról szóló film
  11. Hamisító (N vagy A)
  12. Hamu és gyémánt (L)
  13. A tanú (magyar)
  14. Cséplo Gyuri (Schiffer P. )
  15. Ámen (A helytartó - Hochut darab)
  16. A csendes amerikai (angol?)
  17. A háborúnak vége (F) Semprun könyvbol film
  18. Agitátorok (az Optimistákból)
  19. Tarkovszkij A tükör

9
The points of view of the analysis of the film
  • What is the movie about?
  • What is its relationship to the particular,
    chosen topic (to Religions or History of
    Political Ideas)
  • What is the message of the movie?
  • What is its peculiar importance in relationship
    to the history of 20th and 21st century?
  • Does it have a message in regard of nowadays
    Hungary?
  • Which opposite opinions are expressed in the
    movie?
  • Which opposite opinions are present according to
    the topic in question in the contemporary
    Hungarian and/or global society?
  • You could select the behavior, story or path of
    life of one or more characters, and you could
    present and analyse them in your essay.
  • With what other movies and literary works could
    you compare the actual, chosen movie?
  • What is the relationship of this film to the
    reality does it alter the latter drastically or
    rather mirrors it in a quite acceptable, adequate
    way?

10
The points of view of the analysis concerning
the 21st century
  • You should choose and download from the internet
    5 events, news, information in the last two
    years, which you consider to be decisive in
    regard of the history of 21st century.
  • You should show and argue for why do you think
    these events to be decisive (rather than others).
  • You should unfold their connections and internal
    relationship, and form your opinion what kind of
    future they foreshadow together.
  • You should determine the possible message of this
    foreshadowed picture in regard of Europe, and in
    particular in regard of East-Europe.
  • You should determine the possible message of this
    foreshadowed picture in regard of present
    Hungarian society.
  • The essay must be approximately 8 pages, out of
    which one page should be about the analysis of
    these five tendencies.
  • Deadline 17. December, 2012. Room, E II 22.

11
An example
  • At least 45 people, including women and children,
    have been killed in sectarian violence involving
    two ethnic groups over land row in Nigeria's
    northern state of Benue, police and witnesses
    said today. Those killed belong to Tiv ethnic
    group while the attackers were the Fulani people
    who are mostly cattle herdsmen, witnesses
    said.The Tiv, who are mostly farmers, also had
    some of their houses burnt down by the invaders.
    Ejike Alaribe, the police spokesman, said the
    number of people killed in Sunday's violence is
    16 but a witness who spoke to PTI on condition of
    anonymity insisted the number could not be less
    than 45, adding that the country's police is
    known for reducing casualty figures.The cause
    of the violence is related to land row between
    the two ethnic groups. The Fulanis, who are
    mostly Muslims, seek land for their cattle to
    graze while the Tivs want to preserve it for
    farming.Ethnic conflict over land are
    widespread in northern Nigeria. Most frequently,
    these occure in the country's north-central state
    of Plateau where Fulani herdsmen engage in
    clashes with the Biroms and other ethnic groups.

12
Traditional approach of group behavior
  • The traditional approach conceives group behavior
    as stemming from individual goals, motives and
    abilities. These assume that people work together
    with others because their insights, efforts or
    resources can help achieve attractive goals.
    People help each other because this indirectly
    benefits themselves, because of genetic overlap
    in families or because of ethnic and cultural
    similarities.
  • The traditional approach focuses on
    individual-level disposition or concerns to
    explain group behavior is found across different
    disciplines.

13
Social identity approach of group behavior
  • 1970 H. Tajfel and J. Turner offer a new
    approach to understand group behavior social
    identity approach.
  • Social identity approach try to understand social
    discrimination, aggression and conflict between
    different groups in society based on specific
    cognitive processes and social cognitions which
    is based on existence of a group self.
  • The group self (instead of the individual self)
    can guide peoples behaviors when they realize
    they are part of group (cognitive
    self-definition) or what they are subjectively
    committed to the group (emotional
    self-involvement).
  • Anyone can be considered as part of a number of
    different groups. These include groups people are
    born into (defined by gender, ethnicity, or
    nationality) as well as self-chosen affiliations
    for instance professional, religious or political
    groups.

14
What does collective identity means?
  • Ethnocentric-syndrome we trust our group
    without doubts, hesitation and unconditionally,
    and we are suspicious and distrustful in the
    direction of other groups, in the direction of
    the alien.
  • Collective identity it is integrated into our
    mind that we identify ourselves with our
    communities. We conceive all the harms, threats
    and insults against our community as harms,
    threats and insults against ourselves.
  • The centre of identity one form of identity
    emerges from all the other possible identities,
    and it governs and determines the role and
    function of every other.

15
Definition of ethnocentrism
  • Ethnocentrism Loyalty to the group, sacrifice
    for it, hatred and contempt for outsiders,
    brotherhood within, warlikeness without,
    Ethnocentrism is the technical name for this
    view of things in which one's own group is the
    center of everything, and all others are scaled
    and rated, (Sumner, Folkways 1906, 200713).
  • It is the special emotional attitude, that though
    we smile at everybody when we are born, when we
    are wide awake we get to know that there are
    people whom we could trust, and there are other
    people whom we must be afraid of.
  • When we grow up we learn to separate the world
    into two sharply different parts familiars,
    friends and acquaintances, whom we love and
    trust, and unacquainted, unfamiliar, alien
    people, whom we fear, and whom we should rather
    avoid.

16
Why ethnocentrism is important?
The political processes are basically determined
by the relationship to alien people. In this
respect the changing of rejection of foreigners
and aliens in Hungary is an important factor.
17
Results of the Derex (Demand for Right-Wing
Extremism Index) report (2012)
Degree of demand towards far-right extremist
ideas
DEREX Cathegories Dimensions
Prejudicialness Anti-system attitude
Value-orientation Fear
Value-judgment General disposition Hungary
(Jobbik) 29 (11) 64 (48) 34 (20) 43 (32)
27 (19) 32 (16) 13 (7) Netherlands (Partij
voor ) 5 (1) 45 (16) 13 (5) 24 (10) 5
(3) 14 (3) 3 (1) France (Front Na) 21 (6) 58
(21) 35 (20) 42 (15) 19 (14) 28 (6) 9
(7) Belgium (Vlaams Belang 16 (3) 44 (24)
32 (13) 40 (10) 12 (7) 20 (4) 4 (2)
Denmark(Dansk Folkeparti) 2 (1) 38 (13)
13 (4) 21 (12) 3 (3) 9 (3) 1 (1)
18
The general picture
  • In Hungary (Autumn, 2010) the 48 percent of 16
    years and above old population is extremely
    prejudicious, 20 percent of them has an
    anti-system attitude, 32 percent has a strong
    rightist value-orientation, and 19 percent could
    be characterized with strong fear, untrust or
    pessimism.
  • In the Autumn of 2010 the attitude-extremists
    (those whom could be characterized with at least
    three features out of the four above-mentioned
    characteristics) made up the 11 percent of the
    population. This is a significant decrease in
    relation to the 21 percent which was registered
    in 2009, but its basic reason is spectacular
    fallback of fear, anti-system attitude and
    pessimism after the elections. In the moment of
    gathering and registration of these date the
    support of the FIDESZ-Party and government was on
    its meridian, and the vast majority of the voters
    was satisfied with the public affairs. Since then
    the general unsatisfaction and anti-institute
    attitude went back to its earlier, very high
    level.
  • Hungary, in comparison with other 18 examined
    European countries, is at the head of the list in
    regard of prejudiciousness, right-wing
    value-orientation, but the fear- and
    untrust-index is relatively high as well.

19
The experimental analysis and demonstration of
ethnocentric-syndrome
  • The Hamilton-law (the degree of altruism of
    sociable animals is in a direct proportion to the
    degree of relationship/closeness of genetic
    connection).
  • Henri Tajfel-law the minimal inter-group
    situation (to what do we switch on?)
  • M. Shariff experiment with the boy scout groups
    (how could you generate conflicts between
    different groups?)
  • The parochial-altruism experiment (how does
    ethnocentrism emerge?)
  • Axelrod the fitness-increasing role of
    ethnocentric-syndrome (is ethnocentrism useful?)
  • Instinctive ethnocentrism (racism) in the
    well-developed, modern societies.

20
Origin of ethnocentrism1. The Hamilton-law
  • Hamilton-law (1963 The Evolution of Altruistic
    Behavior )
  • r ? a gt c
  • The basis of this formula is that in regard of
    relationships it considers their expenses as well
    as their benefits. Concretely, the formula
    connects
  • the factor marked with r which refers to the
    immediacy (closeness) of genetic relationship,
  • the a benefit which derives from an altruistic
    relationship,
  • and contrasts with it the c expense of the
    altruistic behavior.
  • The formula shows the logical result that if a
    being experiences that the benefit which appears
    at the relatives (which is the product of amount
    of help and the closeness of degree of
    relationship which latter refers to the genetic
    closeness) is greater than the expense which it
    causes to itself, then it is expedient to
    behave in an altruistic way, if the main goal is
    the transmission of the own genes.
  • The evolution helps the realization of this
    process with different mechanisms individual and
    social/collective learning, hormone-system, etc.

21
The realization of Hamilton-law in the human world
  1. We are apt to support our relatives and
    precisely according to the degree of relationship
    (with money, help, time, and we are apt to give
    even our own organs more willingly than in other
    cases), and we first of all appeal to them for
    help. On the other hand this is why the defense
    of relatives is so serious and strong partly
    this is the origin of vendetta, almost in a
    necessary way.
  2. And inversely on the one hand the farthest the
    relationship the biological connection the
    greater is the possibility of violence (real and
    adopted child), and for this very reason we
    condemn more seriously and sharply the violence
    amongst close relatives (e.g. the matricide).

22
The origin of ethnocentrism 2. Tajfel the
minimal group-effect experiment
  • In the experiment one had to make his or her
    opinion about the pictures of two painters Klee
    and Kandinsky. The leader of experiment divided
    the participants into two groups, then the
    participants could reward with money the others,
    whom were partly the members of the same group
    and partly the members of the other.
  • The researchers examined the strategy according
    to which the people shared the money maximal
    common benefit, the maximalization of own group,
    and the maximalization of difference between the
    two groups, or honest (fifty-fifty) decision.
  • The decisive strategy of decisions the
    maximalization of benefit of own group.
  • The consequence even the accidental, and from
    the real life completely separate factor could be
    a form-generating force, and in that way that it
    even influences the important decisions, the
    distribution of resources.

23
The origin of ethnocentrism
3. M. Sharif Robbers Cave experiment
  • 1949-1954 summer boy scout camps, with 10-12 year
    old participants, forming accidental groups.
  • The leaders of experiment let the groups to be
    formed, then they programmed conflicts into
    their relation. The battle began between the two
    groups, and none of their members actually knew
    how it began, but they were sure, that a member
    of the other group started it.
  • The sign of group-identity We are the brave,
    strong, honest ones. They are the cowards,
    bastards, liars.
  • In the competition they took it for granted that
    they use even dishonest, unfair means, and
    desecrate, violate the symbols of the other
    group.
  • The reconcilement could not be realized by
    attempts of conviction or persuasion (collective
    worship), only (1) a common enemy (a sport-group
    that came form another camp), or (2) a common,
    collective work (the compulsion of a common
    problem that could be solved only in cooperation
    with the other, rival group) could decrease the
    hostility between those groups.

24
Origin of ethnocentrism 4. The altruistic
punishment-games
  • Games based on game-theory Prisoners Dilemma,
    dictator-game, ultimatum-game, common goods-game.
  • The leaders of experiment introduce in the game
    the possibility of immediate punishment they
    grant the possibility for the players, for us,
    that if we judge someones behavior inappropriate
    then we could punish the person in question on
    our own expense.
  • This sort of penalty or punishment was called
    altruistic-punishment, because
  • It is executed at the punishers own
    cost/expense.
  • The punisher does not gain any immediate
    benefit for it.
  • It makes harm to the target.
  • This possibility was applied in the experiments
    in two ways
  • The participants person in question could
    either accomplish the punishment in the end of
    the game
  • Or they assigned a particular punisher, who in
    the end of the game judged or evaluated the
    behavior, and could punish it at the expense of
    his or her own money.
  • The hypothesis was rational agent wont punish
    at the expense of own money, unless he or she get
    something in return.
  • But in the reality most men willingly and gladly
    punished even at his own cost, or even by causing
    harm himself or herself also.

25
The origin of ethnocentrism 5. The phenomenon
of parochial altruism
In the experiment the participants played the
punisher DBP-game, with three roles distributor
(D), beneficiary (B) and punisher (P). The
groups were formed of miscellaneous participants,
of two, non-hostile, but far distant tribes (DBP,
BP, DB, DP players from one tribe). The
equitableness or rightfulness was acknowledged by
all, the selfishness was punished by all, but the
aptness to punish was strongly dependent on the
composition of the group It was higher in DBP-
and BP-cases, and lower in DP- and DB-cases. All
these could be explained by parochial altruism
in DP- and DB- cases let his mother cry, but
in DBP- and BP-cases we must avenge the unjust
behavior.
26
Origin of ethnocentrism 6. The implicit
association test
  • Experiment of Anthony Greenwald word-association
    game it is easier to make a connection in case
    of known connection than in the case of an
    unknown one. (E.g. rose sweet-smelling or
    ugly, snake dangerous or pretty).
  • In the second step instead of rose the leader of
    experiment gave typical white and coloured
    names (George and Alonzo). The result it was
    easier to associate George with the words
    handsome and love, and Alonzo with devil,
    poison.
  • The general trend was such even the blacks
    tended to associate the whites with favorable
    words, and even they tended to associate
    unfavorable expressions to the black face and
    names.
  • This instinctive reaction could be of utmost
    importance in dangerous situations the white
    patient in shooting experiments search
    information in case of white figure, but in case
    of a black one he shoots immediately.
  • The so-called ERP (Event-Related Brain Potential)
    which is the reaction in brains electric state
    to a discrete event (e.g. to a seen picture),
    could be detected and registered by the
    electrodes placed on the agents head.
  • The overall confirmed results of these
    experiments all human beings are instinctively
    racist.

27
The origin of ethnocentrism 7. The
Axelrod-experiment the EC is adaptive
  • Axelrods simulation experiment started with such
    agents who preferred their own group and
    avoided interactions with aliens.
  • The agents met for time to time and they played
    PD-game. Then they rambled away and/or could
    cooperate again, or they could isolate from the
    cooperation (or could generate a descendant, and
    they could also die).
  • In the population the cooperation was
    wide-spread, but the EC-behavior also. In the
    end after 2000 turns the 74 percent of the
    interactions was cooperative, and 76 percent was
    EC-behavior.
  • Up to this moment however the miscellaneous
    multicultural - community disintegrated, and
    one-coloured, ethnically homogenous communities
    were born. These ones interacted intensively, but
    they avoid interaction and communication with the
    others.

28
Symptomes of EC-phenomenon
  1. The EC has some genetically inherited elements,
    which function in a similar way like in our
    animal ancestors, but it also has some socially
    learned elements.
  2. A part of EC could be in connection with concrete
    experiences of life, but it also could occur in
    absence of experiences and concrete knowledge.
  3. The EC works often as a reflex-operation, but
    very often it is realized through a serious
    deliberation.
  4. The EC is a general human phenomenon, which occur
    in every society independently from the degree
    of its development.
  5. The EC could influenced, decreased with
    addition of objective data and information but
    it could not be eliminated completely.
  6. In many occasions it lurks, it is latent, but
    there are certain situations in life a menace
    against our own community, the competing of
    groups, or the frustration of the individual
    which activate this program.

29
What is the reason of collective identity?
  • Prefiguration
  • The role of relational (genetic) connections in
    altruism (Hamilton-law).
  • Environmental pressure
  • Growing group and diversity, for this reason the
    strengthening, the intensifying of belonging
    together, of internal relations in the group, and
    integration of the community has an even greater
    importance.
  • Function
  • It increases the homogeneity, the strength of
    internal group-relations, pro-sociality, and it
    (at least for a certain degree) dissolves the
    conflicts in the group.
  • Changes
  • Gathering societies one is connected with the
    (larger) family
  • Settled societies one is connected with the
    tribe (tribal confederations)
  • Statehood earlier one is connected with
    territory (king, kingdom, empire), then with the
    religion.

30
Revolutions of human evolution
  • Earliest stage of human evolution it is the
    stage of human ethology
  • Modern man EEA (Environment of evolutionary
    adaptedness) and the phase of evolutionary
    psychology
  • Symbolic revolution the cultural evolution
    became more important (here appears speech and
    language)
  • Neolithic revolution here appears culture in
    its entire reality, and also inequality,
    rulership and hierarchic community
  • Institutional revolution here appears state and
    everything else writing and even more complex,
    developed conceptual thinking.

31
The levels of hierarchic controlling-system which
determines the behavior
  • 1. Earliest level of human evolution
    reflex-like, click-launch reaction.
  • 2. The level of emergence of modern man he
    anticipates the solution, and acts
    instinctively ( some deliberation)
  • 3. Level of symbolic revolution he realizes the
    sign, identifies its meaning or sense, and he
    behaves in accordance with it.
  • 4. Level of Neolithic revolution he is in
    connection with experience and with what he
    learnt from his ancestors, deliberates and
    behaves according to that.
  • 5. Level of institutional revolution he
    analyses the circumstances, applies the models of
    science, gathers information, deliberates
    prudently, and takes into account the possible
    consequences.

32
What does the institutional level means?
  • The institutions are tinkered or gadgeteered
    from the earlier emerged elements of culture,
    they are systems with a concrete adaptive
    functions, which determine and form the human
    behavior on a very basic level.
  • Roles, symbols and rules, made up from the
    material and spiritual elements of culture,
    systems which control the behavior.
  • Since this point our life takes place within the
    frames of these institutions state, politics,
    ideology, religion, domination, market etc. These
    systems make the environment and circumstances
    stable and predictable.
  • Their functioning is based upon the earlier
    levels, but on the institutional level the agent
    makes deliberations, and takes into the account
    the actual and possible effects of these
    institutions.

33
Evolution of ethnocentrism
  • 1. Earliest stage of human evolution etological
    refusal and affinity
  • 2. The revolution of modern man emergence of
    ethno- centric module
  • 3. Symbolic revolution emergence of
    xenophobia (racism)
  • 4. Neolithic revolution the prejudice
  • 5. Institutional revolution ideology

34
The Matrioshka-model of ethnocentrism
Level of ideologies
Level of prejudices
Level of xenophobia/homophily
Level of ethnocentric-module
Level of biological kinship
35
The main steps of group-identity in human
evolution
  1. Before settle evolutionary psychological mental
    module. Its sign is the ending of the
    smiling-phase of the infant, the fear from
    unacquainted, alien people after 7-8 months.
  2. After symbolic revolution the fear and the
    identification is raised by symbols, which we
    transmit partly orally and partly in written form
    (star, cross, song, living speech, etc.).
  3. The stereotype emerged after settling we have to
    cooperate with alien people with whom we are
    living together, we must classify them in a way
    or another, and the rejection could change after
    a while.
  4. The ideology emerged in the age of institutional
    revolution, as a complex institute, (symbols,
    roles, rules, rites, building, etc.).

36
Steps of identity in the course of human
evolution
  • On the first level the biological relatedness is
    decisive kinship biological descendance or
    lineage.
  • After the symbolic revolution the kinship became
    socially constructed feature.
  • In this period the communication between
    communities became a decisive factor. Claude
    Lévi-Strauss Civilization is exchange of items,
    information and spouses.
  • It is not the biological relationship, but the
    system of social relation which is truly matters.
    (In the Kalahari Desert we, ju hoansi real
    human. Aliens, ju dole bad, evil, malicious
    being. But the word barbarian in Ancient Greek
    language refers to quite the same barbarian
    that who doesnt understand Greek language,
    that who cannot speak intelligibly)
  • We must support our own kin, and we have a good
    reason to expect the same support from our own
    kin, and we must reject the alien people, and
    avoid them.
  • We try to dehumanize the enemy. (E.g. in American
    prisons the violence amongst the prisoners is
    mentioned with the following slang expression
    NHI, that is No human involved).

37
Steps of identity towards the multi-cultural form
of identity
  • Blood-brother/sister the closest family
  • Foster-brother/sister extended family, the clan
  • Tribe-brother tribal federations
  • Brethren, co-religionist religion (state)
  • Nation-brother nation (state)
  • Class-brother class
  • All men become brothers - mankind

38
The precedent indications and preparatory
functions of religion on the level of animals
  • Culture
  • Tool-using and tool-making
  • Politics
  • Exchange of needs and activities
  • Following rules and norms
  • Pro-sociability.
  • Prosocial behavior or "voluntary behavior
    intended to benefit another", consists of actions
    which "benefit other people or society as a
    whole", "such as helping, sharing, donating,
    co-operating, and volunteering." In short a sort
    of altruism.
  • These functions could be found in a preliminary
    form on the level of higher primates.

39
The mental modules in evolutionary psychology
  • Modularity of mind is the notion that a mind
    may, at least in part, be composed of separate
    innate structures which have established
    evolutionarily developed functional purposes.
  • In evolutionary psychology, amongst others, Leda
    Cosmides treated the problem of modularity of
    mind.
  • This perspective suggests that modules are units
    of mental processing that evolved in response to
    selection pressures. On this view, much modern
    human psychological activity is rooted in
    adaptations that occurred earlier in human
    evolution, when natural selection was forming the
    modern human species.
  • Source Cosmides, L. Tooby, J. (1994). Origins
    of Domain Specificity The Evolution of
    Functional Organization. In L.A. Hirschfeld and
    S.A. Gelmen, eds., Mapping the Mind Domain
    Specificity in Cognition and Culture. Cambridge
    Cambridge University Press

40
What does the mental modules-level mean?
  • 1. They are certain forms of behavior, which were
    called into existence by problems and challenges
    given the evolutionary adaptive environment of
    early periods of evolution of man.
  • 2. They are functional units which fixed in the
    brain, and which provide certain sorts of
    solution to certain problems of adaptation. They
    are tools or instruments of the solution.
  • 3. We decide with the instinctive, unconscious
    application of these mental modules, who could we
    trust, who could be a cheater, what should we
    eat, from what should be afraid of.
  • 4. Its a psychological attitude, a preference
    that influences the behavior, and which presses
    the individual towards a certain direction, and
    generates definite answers to certain situations
    from time to time.

41
Evoloutionary interpretation of most of the
social phenomena
  • We could interpret most of the social phenomena
    in an evolutionary way, whose inner core is
    genetically programmed, and whose outer layers
    are a kind of superstructure.
  • The ethnocentrism identity-forming elements each
    based upon the other,
  • The religion layers of spiritual constructions,
  • The ethics layers of good-evil generating
    constructions,
  • The state layers of territorial controlling,
  • Politics layers of mechanisms of collective
    decision-making,
  • Governance layers of mastership, rulership and
    calling to account,
  • Internal organizations layers of evolutionary
    programmed autonomous unites (firms, companies,
    organizations),
  • Science layers of cognitive, cognizing,
    information-collecting, testing and transmissive
    mechanisms.

42
Basic concepts of evolution
  • What do we call evolution?
  • Evolution on the micro-level the change of the
    genetical composition of a population on account
    of the selective pressure of environment.
  • Evolution on the macro-level the evolvement of
    present forms of life, during over millions of
    year, from the most primitive forms of life.
  • Every functional unit in a living creature is
    either an adaptation, or a by-product or a bug.
  • Every and any adaptation exists only in
    relationship of other adaptations, and never in
    isolation, separated from them. We could
    understand and interpret an adaptation only in
    the context of other adaptations.

43
The concept of adaptation
  • The fundamental characteristics of adaptation
  • It is brought forth by evolutionary, selective
    pressure it is an answer to adaptive problems.
  • It increases the sufficiency of a living being
    immediately.
  • It offers instrumental, tool-like solutions to
    actual evolutionary problems.
  • The process of evolution evolutionary pressure ?
    gadgeteering ? selection ? adaptation

44
Basic features of adaptation
  • What is adaptation in general?
  • 1.Adaptation is not a process, but a tool or
    instrument to solve a problem.
  • 2. The living beings and societies are always
    forced to face different problems during their
    history, and they evolve different
    construction-type solutions.
  • 3. In the natural world these tools
    (constructions) are organs and types (or
    patterns) of behavior.
  • 4. In the human world these tools (constructions)
    are institutes, techniques and ideas.
  • 5. The evolving or development of these tools
    happens in way of gadgeteering the nature
    could work with the material, which is already
    made, the tools present at hand. It attaches
    something to those tools, alters them a little
    bit in a way or another it (the nature) changes
    the tools which are present in such a way that
    they could be used in the present situation, and
    they could be alters further in the future, if it
    is needed.

45
The Matrioshka model of man
Level of institutions
Level of cultural universals
Level of symbols
Level of mental modules
Level of human ethology
Three further levels inside human ethology 1.
primate brain, 2. mammal brain, and 3. reptile
brain.
46
MacLean, P. D. (1990) The three-brain-model
Second floor primate-brain
First floor mammal-brain
Ground-floor reptile-brain
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