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Evaluation of Daniel Dennett's Perspective on the Nature of Religion and its Evolutionary Process in the Book "Breaking the Spell" Based on Islamic Principles
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Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Abtahi   1, Abuzar Rajabi2 |
1- student of Qom University of Islamic Studies, Iran
2- University of Islamic Studies, Department of Theoretical Foundations of Islam, Qom, Iran |
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Abstract: (35 Views) |
| Breaking the Spell," authored by Daniel Clement Dennett, stands as one of the significant works within the New Atheist movement. In this book, Dennett claims to examine the phenomenon of religion through a scientific method, aiming to elucidate religion as a natural and human phenomenon while denying its supernatural origin. He attempts to describe religion as a structure influenced by cultural evolution, using Darwinian logic. This research seeks to elaborate on and evaluate Dennett's assertions regarding the definition and roots of religion and its evolutionary process. The findings of this analysis indicate that the book faces challenges and errors in achieving its objectives, such as introducing religion as a global phenomenon and outlining the algorithmic evolutionary emergence and transformation of religion. Disregarding traditional religious studies, negating identity and the independent essence of religion, and conflating religion with religiosity are only part of these errors. Nevertheless, Dennett has demonstrated a significant proficiency in employing the capacities of Darwinian theory in various religious belief domains, magnifying the importance of scrutinizing and critiquing his book. |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
کلام جدید
Received: 2024/02/21 | Accepted: 2024/05/21
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