My own "just so" story about belief in the supernatural is that it provides ballast to an emerging/evolving mind (on top of an evolving neural system including the development of language and planning functions) which becomes somewhat obsessive about "posing questions and finding answers". I tend to think of the pervasive belief in the supernatural as a way to resolve those questions which are simply too subtle or complex or to whose resolution is too subtle or obscured to yield to "rational" answers. I suspect it is also a useful place to build ill-formed hypotheses... theories that just don't hold water (yet) and need to be scaffolded by actions of "the gods" or equivalent. While I find *other's* various superstitious beliefs inconvenient to deal with sometime, I think they hold a significant utility for both individual and group, but it is their nature, just like *scientific* beliefs (although not JUST like) to be overturned as understanding expands.
On 5/21/20 8:44 AM, Prof David West wrote: > Certainly. I apologize if I implied otherwise. > > "What is the function of that?" seems to be a strange question — a disguise > for a different type of question like, "what is the evolutionary advantage? > > My reaction to the article was along the lines: Does DMT, at the micro-dose > level in the human brain, contribute a biological evolutionary advantage > along the lines of nuanced sensitivity — helping make more precise > distinctions to sensory input and therefore increase survival odds in some > subtle way. The belief in "Other" or "God" is just a side effect? > > Fast forward a few millennia and the side-effect that had little or no > consequence vis-a-vis biological evolution suddenly becomes a vulnerability > —a contra-survival trait— in terms of socio-cultural evolution? > > [Yes, I am being a bit sloppy and or metaphorical as I toss about the the > term evolution.] > > davew > > > On Wed, May 20, 2020, at 3:36 PM, [email protected] wrote: >> Ok. But I can ask "why", right? >> >> Nicholas Thompson >> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology >> Clark University >> [email protected] >> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Friam <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Prof David West >> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 3:29 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] God >> >> Who said anything about a function? >> >> A simple observation: every culture of which we are aware express some >> sort of belief in the supernatural - there is marginal consistency >> among expressions of that belief. Burials with artifacts / food stuffs >> / staged body positioning / etc. are interpreted as expressions of >> supernatural belief in prehistoric cultures. Again just an observation, >> no interpretation, no assignment of meaning, no explantation. >> >> davew >> >> >> On Wed, May 20, 2020, at 10:22 AM, [email protected] wrote: >>> Wait a minute? >>> >>> What is the function of believing in higher spirits? >>> >>> Or is it a spandrel? >>> >>> N >>> >>> Nicholas Thompson >>> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology Clark University >>> [email protected] https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Friam <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Prof David West >>> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 6:23 AM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: [FRIAM] God >>> >>> Taking (inhaling) DMT seems to induce a belief in "higher spirits" e.g. >>> "God." >>> >>> https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269881120916143 >>> >>> Since human brains naturally produce DMT (some controversy about this >>> assertion); that is why all human cultures — historic and prehistoric — >>> incorporate beliefs in the supernatural. >>> >>> davew >>> >>> -- --- .-. . .-.. --- -.-. -.- ... -..-. .- .-. . -..-. - .... . -..-. >>> . ... ... . -. - .. .- .-.. -..-. .-- --- .-. -.- . .-. ... >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe >>> http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >>> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >>> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >>> >>> >>> -- --- .-. . .-.. --- -.-. -.- ... -..-. .- .-. . -..-. - .... . -..-. >>> . ... ... . -. - .. .- .-.. -..-. .-- --- .-. -.- . .-. ... >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >>> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >>> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >>> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >>> >> -- --- .-. . .-.. --- -.-. -.- ... -..-. .- .-. . -..-. - .... . -..-. >> . ... ... . -. - .. .- .-.. -..-. .-- --- .-. -.- . .-. ... >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> >> >> -- --- .-. . .-.. --- -.-. -.- ... -..-. .- .-. . -..-. - .... . -..-. >> . ... ... . -. - .. .- .-.. -..-. .-- --- .-. -.- . .-. ... >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> > -- --- .-. . .-.. --- -.-. -.- ... -..-. .- .-. . -..-. - .... . -..-. . ... > ... . -. - .. .- .-.. -..-. .-- --- .-. -.- . .-. ... > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > -- --- .-. . .-.. --- -.-. -.- ... -..-. .- .-. . -..-. - .... . -..-. . ... ... . -. - .. .- .-.. -..-. .-- --- .-. -.- . .-. ... 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