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Agency, religion, and magic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2005

Dan Sperber
Dan Sperber*
Affiliation:
Institut Jean Nicod, CNRS, EHESS, and ENS, 7500 Paris, France http://www.dan.sperber.com
*
dan@sperber.com
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Abstract:

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Atran & Norenzayan (A&N) ask: “Why do agent concepts predominate in religion?” This question presupposes that we have a notion of religion that is (1) well enough defined, and (2) characterized independently of that of supernatural agents. I question these two presuppositions. I argue that “religion” is a family resemblance notion built around the idea of supernatural agency.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 27 , Issue 6 , December 2004, pp. 750 - 751
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004