ARC number: 4
(Technical Id number: 5)
| Author(s): | Lisdorf, Anders |
| Title: | What's HIDD'n in the HADD? - A Cognitive Conjuring Trick? |
| Category: | none |
| Length (pages): | 14 |
| Keywords: | HADD; theory of mind; superhuman agents; gods |
| | | Abstract: | The consensus in the cognitive study of religion is that some sort of hyperactive agency detection in the human mind is responsible for the origin and spread of beliefs in superhuman agents such as gods, spirits and ancestors among human populations. While it is expressed differently in different authors, they all agree that some sort of hyperactive agency detection is a basic function of human cognition, which is what Justin Barrett has called the Hyperactive Agency Detection Device or HADD. But what is it? And isn’t it a bit much to ask of one cognitive function to be the origin of religious belief? Problems arise when we begin to consider the neural basis: It is not there, or more precisely it doesn’t work that way. Like the magician pulling rabbits from the hat this explanation may be a “self”-conjuring trick, only for us the hat is a HADD and the rabbits are superhuman agents (no reference to were-rabbits intended). This paper will try to point to a more parsimonious explanation. |
| | | Remarks: | Revised and expanded version of a paper given at the "Origins of religion, cognition, and culture" conference in Aarhus, Denmark, 5-7 January 2006. Under publication. |
| | | Email: | andersl @ hum.ku.dk |
| Bibliography: | |
| URL: | |
| Downloadable files: | ARC-4-What_s_HIDD_n_in_the_HADD.pdf |
| | | Submitted: | 13/11/2006 09:30:32 (DD / MM / YYYY) | | Published: | 14/11/2006 12:40:56 (DD / MM / YYYY) |
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