[FRIAM] God

[Prof David West]

Certainly. I apologize if I implied otherwise.

"What is the function of that?" seems to be a strange question — a disguise for a different type of question like, "what is the evolutionary advantage?

My reaction to the article was along the lines: Does DMT, at the micro-dose level in the human brain, contribute a biological evolutionary advantage along the lines of nuanced sensitivity — helping make more precise distinctions to sensory input and therefore increase survival odds in some subtle way. The belief in "Other" or "God" is just a side effect?

Fast forward a few millennia and the side-effect that had little or no consequence vis-a-vis biological evolution suddenly becomes a vulnerability —a contra-survival trait—  in terms of socio-cultural evolution?
 
[Yes, I am being a bit sloppy and or metaphorical as I toss about the the term evolution.]

davew


On Wed, May 20, 2020, at 3:36 PM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
> Ok.  But I can ask "why", right? 
> 
> Nicholas Thompson
> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology
> Clark University
> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
>  
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of Prof David West
> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 3:29 PM
> To: friam at redfish.com
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] God
> 
> Who said anything about a function?
> 
> A simple observation: every culture of which we are aware express some 
> sort of belief in the supernatural - there is marginal consistency 
> among expressions of that belief. Burials with artifacts / food stuffs 
> / staged body positioning / etc. are interpreted as expressions of 
> supernatural belief in prehistoric cultures. Again just an observation, 
> no interpretation, no assignment of meaning, no explantation.
> 
> davew
> 
> 
> On Wed, May 20, 2020, at 10:22 AM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
> > Wait a minute?
> > 
> > What is the function of believing in higher spirits? 
> > 
> > Or is it a spandrel?
> > 
> > N
> > 
> > Nicholas Thompson
> > Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology Clark University 
> > ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
> >  
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of Prof David West
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 6:23 AM
> > To: friam at redfish.com
> > Subject: [FRIAM] God
> > 
> > Taking (inhaling) DMT seems to induce a belief in "higher spirits" e.g. "God."
> > 
> > https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269881120916143
> > 
> > Since human brains naturally produce DMT (some controversy about this 
> > assertion); that is why all human cultures — historic and prehistoric — 
> > incorporate beliefs in the supernatural.
> > 
> > davew
> > 
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