The Origins of Religion in the Paleolithic [Hardcover]

When, why and how did this universal aspect of human social life appear? In a deeply researched and thoughtful study, Wightman attempts to answer these questions by interpreting the archaeological record from the perspective of the latest cognitive neurosciences and psychological research. His approach is unusual in that it almost exclusively concerns the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic.... The Origins of Religion is an extremely valuable work for anyone interested in the cognitive and psychological underpinnings of human behavioural evolution. Its detailed discussions cover research that most archaeologists would otherwise overlook. It should become a basic source for this reason alone.Wightman, drawing on advances in neuroscience, makes an important contribution to our understanding of the origins of human cognition during the Paleolithic period. Through the study of the early remains of human material engagement, he discerns the inception of ritual behaviors wherein lie the origins of religiosity. This book is a significant addition to the emerging field of cognitive archaeology.This is a thought provoking book on many levels. Wightman looks at the earliest indicators for supernatural imagination, a behavior closely linked to religious notions. He suggests that material culture and in particular symbolic artifacts such as engravings and jewelry may have been a constituent part of early ritual and could also provide evidence of the likely complex interactions in early human brains that cross the divide of the real and the spiritual world. Whether religion was inevitable or not is debatable, but it seems certain that only when human cognition allowed for the interpretation of ones own mental state, could belief in supernatural agents became possible.A provocative analysis of a tricky but important topic, sure to stimulate both interesting conversation and further research. Reflecting current frameworks for interpreting religious belief and behavior, Wightman marshal#