Religious Belief as an Evolutionary Accident

Abstract

This chapter discusses how religious belief emerges as a byproduct of 'highly structured' systems, or preexisting adaptations in the social world. It starts by presenting evidence that argues that the universals of religion exist because of the general habits of the human mind: The thought of having 'agents and designers' of everything, and having a common sense on dualism that bodies and souls are distinct. It further explains the implications of these habits of thinking.