Part of
Homo Symbolicus: The dawn of language, imagination and spiritualityEdited by Christopher S. Henshilwood and Francesco d'Errico
[Not in series 168] 2011
► pp. 205–224
Edited by Christopher S. Henshilwood and Francesco d'Errico
[Not in series 168] 2011
► pp. 205–224
Chapter 11. Metarepresentation, Homo religiosus, and Homo symbolicus
Justin L. Barrett | Centre for Anthropology & Mind Institute of Cognitive & Evolutionary
Anthropology, University of Oxford
What cognitive adaptation enabled humans to become the distinctively symbolic species that we are? Drawing upon insights from the cognitive sciences and evolutionary psychology, research in cognitive science of religion (CSR) converges on the claim that the ability to form mental representations about mental representations (metarepresentation) is a key factor enabling and encouraging religious expression. Such metarepresentation may also be the key to symbolic behaviour – including linguistic expression – more generally. If so, then the same cognitive equipment that underwrites symbolism also gave rise to religion, and the two could have evolved concurrently.
Cited by (8)
Cited by eight other publications
Pettitt, Paul
2023. The Cultural Ecology of Fear. In Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Archaeology, ► pp. 505 ff. 
Messick, Kyle J.
2019. Evolutionary Perspectives on Unbelief: An Introduction from the Editor. Studia Humana 8:3 ► pp. 1 ff.
Barrett, Justin L.
2018. Some common misunderstandings about cognitive approaches to the study of religion: a reply to Sterelny. Religion, Brain & Behavior 8:4 ► pp. 425 ff.
Barrett, Justin L. & Ryan G. Hornbeck
2017. Introduction: Homo Religiosus and the Dragon. In Religious Cognition in China [New Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion, 2], ► pp. 1 ff.
Rossano, Matt J. & Benjamin Vandewalle
2016. Belief, Ritual, and the Evolution of Religion. In The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Religion, ► pp. 83 ff.
Wagner, Roger & Andrew Briggs
2016. The Penultimate Curiosity,
Deane‐Drummond, Celia
2012. GOD'S IMAGE AND LIKENESS IN HUMANS AND OTHER ANIMALS: PERFORMATIVE SOUL‐MAKING AND GRACED NATURE. Zygon® 47:4 ► pp. 934 ff.
Deane‐Drummond, Celia
2012. CHRIST AND EVOLUTION: A DRAMA OF WISDOM?1. Zygon® 47:3 ► pp. 524 ff.
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