Praying, fighting, dancing, chanting — human rituals could illuminate the growth of community and the origins of civilization.
As an example of how rituals can cause values and preferences to become sacralized, Atran points to his studies showing that, in the United States, people who attend church more frequently are more likely to consider the right to bear arms a sacred value.
“Emotionally intense rituals have bound us together and pitted us against our enemies throughout the history of our species,” says Whitehouse.
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/news/social-evolution-the-ritual-animal-1.12256
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Filial_Piety_Rituals.jpg
As an example of how rituals can cause values and preferences to become sacralized, Atran points to his studies showing that, in the United States, people who attend church more frequently are more likely to consider the right to bear arms a sacred value.
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/news/social-evolution-the-ritual-animal-1.12256
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Filial_Piety_Rituals.jpg
