The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Religion

James R. Liddle is a technical writer with 11 years of professional writing experience. He received a Master of Arts degree in Experimental Psychology, specializing in evolutionary psychology, from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. His primary areas of interest and expertise are the evolution of religious beliefs/behaviors and teaching evolutionary psychology.Todd K. Shackelford is Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan., where he is Co-Director of the Evolutionary Psychology Lab. He received his Ph.D. in evolutionary psychology in 1997 from the University of Texas at Austin. Much of Dr. Shackelford's research addresses sexual conflict between men and women, with a special focus on men's physical, emotional, and sexual violence against their intimate partners.

This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date collection of essays reviewing the most powerful explanations for the origins and evolution of religious beliefs and behaviors, authored by top experts in relevant disciplines, including a new and growing field labeled "cognitive science of religion." The main strength of this edited volume is its trans-disciplinary approach. The hows and whys of religious thinking and practices are examined through the lenses of anthropology, biology, and psychology

• 1. An Introduction to Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion James R. Liddle and Todd K. Shackelford2. Mickey, Yahweh, and Zeus: Why Cultural Learning Is Essential for theEvolutionary Study of Religion Will M. Gervais3. The Diversity of Religious Systems across History: An EvolutionaryCognitive Approach Pascal Boyer and Nicolas Baumard4. Religion as Anthropomorphism: A Cognitive Theory Stewart Elliott Guthrie5. Evolutionary Developmental Psychology of Children> 's ReligiousBeliefs Tyler S. Greenway and Justin L. Barrett6. Belief, Ritual, and the Evolution of Religion Matt J. Rossano, Benjamin Vandewalle7. Adolescence and Religion: An Evolutionary Perspective Candace S. Alcorta8. Religion and Morality: The Evolution of the Cognitive Nexus John Teehan9. The Kin Selection of Religion Bernard Crespi10. The Coevolution of Religious Belief and Intuitive Cognitive Style viaIndividual-Level Selection Michael N. Stagnaro and David G. Rand11. The Early Origin of Religion: Its Role as a Survival Kit Kenneth Kardong12. The Elephant in the Pews: Reproductive Strategy and Religiosity Jason Weeden, Robert Kurzban, and Douglas T. Kenrick13. Religion: An Evolutionary Evoked Disease-Avoidance Strategy John A. Terrizzi Jr. and Natalie J. Shook14. Religion as a Means of Perceived Security: Testing the Secure SocietyTheory James R. Liddle15. Charismatic Signaling: How Religion Stabilizes Cooperation andEntrenches Inequality John H. Shaver, Gloria Fraser, and Joseph Bulbulia16. The Evolution of Religion and Morality Azim Shariff and Brett Mercier17. The Roots of Intergroup Conflict and the Co-optation of the ReligiousSystem: An Evolutionary Perspective on Religious Terrorism Jordan Kiper and Richard Sosis18. Selected to Kill in His Name: Evolutionary Perspectives on ReligiouslyMotivated Violence Yael Sela and Nicole Barbaro19. Supernatural Beliefs and the Evolution of Cooperation Pierrick Bourrat and Hugo Viciana20. A Socio-Evolutionary Approach to Religious Change Ryan T. Cragun and J. E. Sumerau21. The Evolution and Exploitation of Transcendence Gregory Gorelik22. Challenges to an Evolutionary Perspective on ReligionBenjamin Beit-HallahmiIndex