Thank you for the response!
The point you make in your second paragraph is interesting. The timeline of evolution is certainly important, and I didn’t give much thought to the point that cooperation would have existed in our distant ancestors probably millions of years before religion existed in our more recent ancestors. That needs explaining. My first thought would be that perhaps early-stage versions of religion created better, stronger cooperation than had previously existed, reducing the probability of defection and thus giving humanity an advantage.
I suppose the next thing I’d like to research on this topic is the evolution of language, and compare that timeline with the best guess at a timeline of the evolution of religion. Religious ideas can’t really have existed without at least some kind of advance ability to communicate, right? Might be interesting.
Again, thank you for the response. You’ve given me more to think about and I hope I get the chance to read some of the literature you mentioned, as well as your own book. I certainly agree that we need thinking outside the box to find the answer to the question of the origin of religion. I feel it’s a pretty important question, especially considering the amount of influence religion has in how we interact and treat one another. As I say in my article, I haven’t studied the topic rigorously, but I’m glad I can engage in it and participate in the conversation.
