Nicholas WadeThe Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures

I particularly enjoy books that paint with a broad brush. Wade's previous book, "Before the Dawn", presents much of what has been discovered about how Homo Sapiens spread around the globe, evidently starting about 50,000 years ago in the horn of Africa. "The Faith Instinct" discusses, with great care and excellent logic, recent thinking about how religion may have begun (with totally egalitarian hunter-gatherer groups some hundreds of thousands of years ago), what purpose it served (creating cohesion within groups, the better to prevail against attacks by neighboring groups), its practices (dance, music, and appeal to gods), and how it changed with agriculture and the rise of cities (no longer egalitarian, but with social stratification and religious leaders). The conclusions Wade discusses are based upon observation of a few hunter-gatherer groups in the 19th and 20th centuries, by anthropologists who lived with the groups and learned their languages. A major insight that struck me is the paradox that hunter-gatherer groups love the members of their own tribe, while hating those of other tribes. This shines light on modern xenophobia, and helps explain the ability of modern humans to act sometimes beneficently, and at others, malevolently. Thus, we continue to seek revenge, and to set up cycles of violence. Wade's account is enlightening (as noted), provocative, and exceptionally readable.

As an atheist, I often feel like a square peg in a land of round holes. Why are so many people around me religious, when it makes no sense to me? The Faith Instinct throws up hypotheses that do a good job at answering that question. Taking the perspective of an evolutionary biologist, he starts with the pre-moral instincts of reciprocity and empathy in primates and discusses how they would have developed in hominids and eventually man. He talks about the origin of the sense of the supernatural in dreams and trances after group dances. It's not a big leap from there to the development of religion as a way to keep everyone working for the good of the community - because the spirits watch over you all the time - and putting their lives on the line in war - because you are fighting for the right side and god is on your side. (Incidentally, his thesis depends on the reality of group selection in evolution, a disputed position.) The most controversial section is his secular hypotheses (backed with appropriate, if selective, scholarly references) about how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam started. This will certainly raise hackles among believers. He goes on to talk about how religious societies are more adaptive in many matters including intra-society trust and trade and inter-society warfare.The end of the book is its weakest part - where he tries to envision a future linkage of our "religious instincts" with our science-based view of the universe. Despite his weakness in looking ahead, his ability to look back and see the growth of our species with a new perspective makes this book worth reading.

As a physicist with a strong interest in and respect for religion, this is the best of the dozen or so books I've read on religion in the last few years. It gives a fascinating and compelling view of what religion is, how it arose, how it has evolved, and how it has benefited the groups that have adopted it. It is far more compelling - including in its scientific basis - than the books by Dawkins, Hitchens, and the like.I've read several of the negative reviews of this book. Many misrepresent the scientific points made by Wade, and misunderstand the broader implications of his arguments for, e.g., understanding religions other than the western monotheisms or the rise of the secular state.I found the discussion of the roots of Islam especially fascinating. I had always assumed Muhammad was a historical figure whose life and battles were well documented by the historical record outside of Islam - but this apparently is not true.The last quarter of the book, that deals with more recent trends, is weaker than the rest. But overall, this is a fascinating book that - if you approach it with an open mind - will transform how you think about religion.

The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures Nicholas Wade has written an important book. Although its impact on the world may be protracted, it will be very significant. Wade discusses the evolutionary and cultural roots predisposing humans to faith in beliefs beyond tangible evidence. Wade's approach is not polemical - rather somewhat detached - in the sense that here is the observation and here is reasonable explanation of how this came to be.This is a very successful approach since readers can assimilate the ideas in a non-confrontal manner and make up their own minds whether the arguments are worthy of taking on board. Whatever one may think of Wade's arguments and explanations for the human condition, they will make you think. That in my opinion is Wade's most important contribution. The more persons (especially Americans) who read this valuable contribution the better the world will become. I sincerely hope there soon be an Arabic translation if one does not already exist. Highly commended.

In "The Faith Instinct" versucht Wade zu ergründen, ob und wie die Entstehung religiösen Verhaltens in einem evolutionären Paradigma erklärt werden kann. Seine Erklärung lautet: Religion ist aus evolutionärer Sicht kein bloßes Nebenprodukt einer gelungenen Adaption, sondern bietet selbst einen Selektionsvorteil bzw. ist selbst eine Adaption. Worin besteht der Selektionsvorteil? In der Fähigkeit von Religion, Individuen dazu zu bringen, ihre partikularen Interessen dem Gemeinwohl unterzuordnen. Religion stiftet Gemeinsinn und fördert gruppenkonformes Verhalten. Im langen evolutionären Wettstreit verschiedener Menschengruppen haben sich diejenigen Gruppen durchgesetzt, die überlegene Loyalität und Einheitsgefühl in den Mitgliedern hervorbringen konnten. Religion war zu diesem Zweck ein effektives Mittel. Auf diesem Weg schlug sich die Neigung, religiöses Verhalten zu zeigen, auch im Genom der überlebenden Menschengruppen nieder, wie es etwa auch für die Neigung zur Sprachentwicklung vermutet werden kann.Die These an sich ist nicht unplausibel und wurde schon Jahre früher propagiert (vgl. die Bücher von E. O. Wilson, Matt Rossano u.a.). Was allerdings bei Wades Darstellung stört, ist sein unkonzentriertes Schreiben und sein dubioser Endnotenapparat. In teils langen Abschnitten sammelt er Kuriosa aus der Welt der Religion und der angrenzenden Gebiete, die nicht direkt zur Unterstützung der These dienen. So bleibt das Lesen zwar nicht uninteressant, aber thematisch ist das Buch eben nicht immer zielgerichtet, sondern scheint, wie es gerade kommt, interessante Themen aufzugreifen.Ebenfalls schade ist die Qualität der verwendeten Literatur. Wade greift nicht selten auf populäre und reißerische Titel zurück, um seine Thesen zu stützen (etwa Huntingtons "Kampf der Kulturen" oder Barrie Wilsons Werke). Seine Abhandlung zur Entstehung des Islam ist für den Verlauf des Buches gänzlich unnötig und präsentiert schlankerhand eine absolute Minderheitenmeinung als überlegene Theorie. Wissenschaftliche Literatur findet sich zwar auch, allerdings wird der Lesegenuss durch die durchwachsene Bibliographie getrübt.Das Buch bekommt drei Sterne, es ist eben "nicht schlecht". Die sehr gelungene Aufmachung sowie der günstige Gebrauchtpreis wiegen den teils dürftigen Inhalt leider nicht auf.

Ma anche un narratore insuperabile: con linguaggio semplice e chiaro spiega cose difficili. L'ho acquistato perchè l'edizione in italiano non mi convinceva in alcuni punti. Ora è tutto OK.

Religion isn't universal. Magic and superstition are so are funeral rites that can be very different in each culture. Believe in supernatural beings (whatever you mean by that) isn't universal.

Nicholas Wade clearly sets forth his premise, that we are genetically destined for religious behavior, and creates a clear and easily read text to describe and illustrate why he feels that this premise is true. The highlight of the text, however, lies not in this area, but, rather, in his highly insightful summaries of the origins of ancient and present-day religions. Clearly humans do have a genetic propensity to seek out both a greater reason for life other than the few decades in which we are allowed to experience it and that we have an innate belief in a metaphysical experience that transcends life itself.While I am in full agreement with the concept of morality being an inherited trait, as shown through the inclusive studies of Jean Paiget, the additional labeling of our leanings toward the supernatural as being 'religion' is somewhat misleading. Religion, as the author points out, has been a production made up of 'smoke and mirrors' in order to satisfy man's need for closure in this matter. Instead of using the term 'religion gene' if Mr. Wade had developed a term which encompassed the universal search that mankind has had for the eternal, this matter would be much clearer and less misleading. As it stands, the author recognizes the probable genetic and/or evolutionary tendencies toward a greater understanding of the universe and our life entwined within it but, deservedly so, labels religions as being formulated on untruths and myths, always seeking power and control over the populace and having an exclusive and warlike nature about themselves.That being said, I highly recommend this book for both the potentials of our spiritually genetic makeup and for the honest evaluations of the man-made religions that have been created as a faulty attempt to deal with these needful desires.

One of the most interesting books I have read recently. Nicholas Wade gives a clear, well written account of the origins and evolution of religion (note: this is NOT a knock-down of religion) with persuasive evidence that it is hereditary. He does not seek to account for the presence/absence of any deities and I recommend it for anyone with an inquiring mind regardless of their faith or lack thereof.