| Author(s): | Westh, Peter |
| Title: | Anthropomorphism in God concepts: The role of narrative |
| Category: | conference paper |
| Length (pages): | 22 |
| Keywords: | anthropomorphism; HADD; intuitive ontology; agency; gods; religion; superhuman agents; Theory of Mind; theological correctness; story comprehension; narrative |
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| Abstract: | There is an emerging consensus among current, cognitive theories of religion that the detection and representation of intentional agents and their actions are fundamental to religion. By no means a monolithic theory, this is an argument with several separate lines of reasoning, and several different kinds of empirical evidence to support it. This essay focuses specifically on the notion that people tend to spontaneously make inferences about gods based on intuitive, ontological assumptions, and on one of the main pieces of evidence that is cited to support it, the narrative comprehension experiments conducted by psychologists Justin L. Barrett and Frank C. Keil. It is argued that the experimental data in fact do not support the conclusions that have been drawn from them. |
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| Remarks: | Updates: 25/02/2008, 09/04/2008 (minor). |
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| Email: | pwesth @ hum.ku.dk |
| Bibliography: | |
| URL: | |
| Downloadable files: | ARC-8-Peter_westh_anthropomorphism_in_god_concepts.pdf |
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| Submitted: | 05/12/2006 11:48:20 (DD / MM / YYYY) |
| Published: | 05/12/2006 13:59:27 (DD / MM / YYYY) |