Cognitive Aspects of Religious SymbolismPascal Boyer CUP Archive, 1993 M03 4 - 246 pages How are religious ideas presented, acquired and transmitted? Confronted with religious practices, anthropologists have typically been content with sociological generalizations, informed by vague, intuitive models of cognitive processes. Yet the modern cognitive theories promise a fresh understanding of how religious ideas are learnt; and if the same cognitive processes can be shown to underlie all religious ideologies, then the comparative study of religions will be placed on a wholly new footing. The present book is a contribution to this ambitious programme. In closely focused essays, a group of anthropologists debate the particular nature of religious concepts and categories, and begin to specify the cognitive constraints on cultural acquisition and transmission. |
Contents
Cognitive aspects of religious symbolism | 4 |
Whither ethnoscience? | 48 |
Computational complexity in the cognitive modelling | 74 |
semantics | 93 |
Domainspecificity living kinds and symbolism | 111 |
Pseudonatural kinds | 121 |
cognitive aspects of | 147 |
the pragmatic construction of meaning | 165 |
Cognitive categories cultural forms and ritual structures | 188 |
The interactive basis of ritual effectiveness in a male initi | 207 |
References | 225 |
241 | |
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Common terms and phrases
above/below axis acquisition adult Aguaruna analysis animal argue artefacts aspects assumptions Atran basic behaviour beliefs beyem Cambridge candidates chant classical cognitive anthropology cognitive processes cognitive psychology cognitive science complex concepts conceptual scheme conceptual structures concerning constitute constraints construction context conventional metaphor crucial cultural phenomena Cuna defined described distinctions domain domain theories EFFICACIOUS IMAGE ethnoscience everyday example fact Fijian formal grammaticalisation hierarchy human hypotheses initiators instance interaction intuitive involved kava kava-drinking knowledge Kwaio Lakoff language linguistic living kinds MATERIAL ESSENCE meaning mental metonymy models natural kinds notion novices objects ontological organisation particular Pascal Boyer polysemy principles problem properties prototype prototype theory psychological purpa relationship relevant religious ideas religious ritual action religious symbolism representation represented ritual participants semantic sense shaman shamanistic social specific Sperber status taxonomy theory traditional transformation tree typical uninitiated University Press wado West Futuna Zafimaniry