Anthropology and the cognitive science of religion

Anthropology and the cognitive science of religion
The study of cognitive science in religion studies the concepts of religion from the cognitive and evolutionary perspectives. Such a study employs methods and theories from a broadened range of fields that includes psychology, evolution as well as cognitive anthropology. The term cognition creates an emphasis on the unconscious, and habitual reflection of cognitive patterns and these contribute to the formulation of religious beliefs. Cognition is also a strategic response to the historical complexities found within religion. The use of models, as well as findings from the outside of a currently accepted notion of the contents of anthropology, have a long history as well. Accordingly, anthropology exists within a condition of dynamic tension in its definition as well as a separated field yet taking ideas from other diverse fields. The approaches employed within the field of anthropology suggest perspectives that, in turn, provide a character to the methods by which data is analyzed. However, it becomes quite evident that the approaches used and perspectives provided within the field need to be questioned. Issues of globalization, ethnicities, nationalism are at a larger part shared by sociologists, historians, and political scientists but the perspectival diversities emerge and are often derived from the traditions included in the long-term studies as well as the close ethnographic descriptions and analysis. The ethos of the observations made by the participant observations formulates the intellectual heritage found within anthropology.

The opposing sides of tradition as pointed out by Emile Durkheim are reframed as psychological. Findings are incorporated from cognitive science approaches into anthropological theories which transform the field through its assumption aspects found under cognitive science. This factor is then understood as an expression of the tension between the impulses to embrace other disciplinary approaches and drawing the boundary of theorizing within anthropology (Salazar 11-24).

Cognitive science of religion: looking back looking forward
The cognitive science of religion has arisen due to the attempts to scientifically study religious studies as well as anthropology without the complete elimination of interpretive approaches. Although maintaining the historical orientation of religion while explaining the scientific aspects creates tension, the cognitive study of religion bridges gaps within the scientific study of religion. The theorists of religion have come up with a number of theories that account for the interrelation and knowledge of rituals. These actions are then found to generate common knowledge which then has the impact of coordinating individual actions fundamental to religious practices. More so, according to cognitive psychology, the body affects the cognition of interactions. Consequently, traditional models are criticized since these models assume perceptions to be dependent on actions. An emphasis is made on the interaction of bodily actions and cognition which then assumes a reciprocal view on the cognitive performance of an individual. Counter-intuitiveness plays a critical role in the definition of religion. Broader definitions of religious knowledge fail to allow for a distinction between the diverse types of religious knowledge. According to the cognitive science of religion, intuitive knowledge highly contributes to the innate processes that develop quite earlier in childhood or late on through routines which then describes the development of different patterns of cognition. Natural predilections that occur during the selection processes, the distribution of religious traditions, together with the reflective cognitive processes eventually lead to the rise of conscious religious concepts in individual memories (Barrett 229-239).

Work cited
Barrett, Justin L. “Cognitive Science Of Religion: Looking Back, Looking Forward.”  Journal For The Scientific Study Of Religion, vol 50, no. 2, 2011, pp. 229-239. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01564.x.
Salazar, Carles. “Anthropology And The Cognitive Science Of Religion: A Critical Assessment.” Religion And Society, vol 1, no. 1, 2010, Berghahn Books, doi:10.3167/arrs.2010.010104.