![Page 1: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Religion as Parochial AltruismAra NorenzayanDepartment of Psychology
University of British Columbia
![Page 2: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Will Gervais
UBC
CollaboratorsJeremy Ginges
New School,
New York
Ian Hansen
CUNY
Azim Shariff,
University of
Oregon (soon)
![Page 3: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
To Understand Religious Conflict,
We Need to Understand that...
Intergroup competition sig factor in human genetic
& cultural evolution (e.g., Bowles, 2006)
Parochial altruism: sacrifice for ingroup + hostility
to outgroup
Organized religions cohesive, cooperative
groups
Same principle explains why religion unites and
divides
![Page 4: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Outline
How religion unites
Cooperation & trust
How religion divides
Religious prosociality is not universal
Supporting Suicide attacks: organized
attendance vs. belief
![Page 5: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
How religion unites
![Page 6: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Problem: Big Groups
Solution: Big Gods
![Page 7: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Puzzle of Cooperation in Large Groups
Reciprocal Altruism
(reputation-driven)
Limited Cooperation
among Dyads
Cooperation in large groups
Kin Altruism
(inclusive fitness)
Cooperation
among Kin
![Page 8: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Religious Prosociality(Norenzayan & Shariff, 2008, Science)
Moralizing Supernatural Agents (cultural)
Extended Cooperation and Trust in Large Groups
Costly Commitment
Supernatural Monitoring
![Page 9: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Pressure From AboveShariff & Norenzayan, 2007; Norenzayan & Shariff, 2008
see also: Bering et al 2005; Pichon et al, 2007
God Concepts Control
Measure generosity:how much $ offered to anonymous other?
Secular
Concepts
![Page 10: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
median split by belief in God
top halfbottom half
Mea
n c
ash
off
ere
d
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Self-reported Belief in God
Non-Believers Believers
Difference is ns at p=.75. n=50.
![Page 11: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Religious
Prime
Cash O
ffere
d
Neutral
Prime
Secular
Prime
Study 2: Community Sample
Shariff & Norenzayan, 2007, Psych Sci
![Page 12: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Religious Primes Feeling Watched?
Public: Right now, I am concerned about what other people think of me
![Page 13: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Religiosity in Trust Games(Tan & Vogel, J Econ Psy, 2009)
Proposer ResponderDecision 1
$10
$15
$10 X 3 = $30
Decision 2 $15
$30
![Page 14: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Religion and Trust(Tan & Vogel, J Econ Psy, 2008)
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
1 2 3 4 5
RELI
DP
AS
SP
RO
P
Low Religiosity Group
High Religiosity Group
Total
Mean deviation of offer from baseline to Responders of each
religiosity level by Proposers of different religiosity
![Page 15: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
How religion divides
![Page 16: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox
vs.
![Page 17: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Religion and Intergroup Conflict
"Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals
of war technology, on an even footing with the longbow,
the warhorse, the tank, and the hydrogen bomb.”
--Richard Dawkins
“Religion is a remedy to help reduce the conflict and
suffering in the world, not another source of conflict.”
--The Dalai Lama
![Page 18: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Universal or discriminate prosociality?(Shariff & Norenzayan, in progress)
Theological
correctness
vs
Psychological
plausibility
Christian ppts. play
Dictator Game with
Christian vs Muslim
![Page 19: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
![Page 20: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Freethinkers as Freeriders?
“Surely you recognize the equal
citizenship and patriotism of Americans
who are atheists?” -- Rob Sherman
“No, I don't know that atheists should
be considered as citizens, nor should
they be considered patriots. This is
one nation under God.”-- George H. W.
Bush
![Page 21: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Freethinkers as Freeriders?
“…those are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God. Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist. The taking away of God, though but even in thought, dissolves all”
(J. Locke, Letter Concerning Toleration, 1689)
![Page 22: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Atheists Least Liked Group in America (Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann, Am Soc Rev, 2006)
“I would disapprove if my child married a member of this group” (2003)
% Atheist 47.3
Muslim 33.5
African-American 27.2
Asian-American 18.5
Hispanic 18.5
Jewish 11.8
White 2.3
![Page 23: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
![Page 24: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
Atheists Gay Men People in General
Fee
lin
g T
her
mom
eter
Target
Panel A
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Distrust Disgust
Th
erm
om
eter
Rati
ng
(rel
ati
ve
to P
eop
le i
n G
ener
al)
Trait
Panel B
Atheists
Gay Men
Representative US
Sample (N=350)
(Gervais, Shariff, &
Norenzayan, in prep
![Page 25: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
-0.1
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
1 2 3 4 5
Imp
lici
t A
sso
cia
tio
n
Belief in God
Atheist Distrust
Atheist Dislike
Dislike: hostile, hate vs. kind, friend
Distrust: lying, dishonest vs. dependable, honest
![Page 26: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Suicide Attacks
Suicide attacks (SA): extreme form of
“parochial altruism” (Choi & Bowles, 2007)
Dramatic worldwide rise of SA since 2000:
142 between 1983-2000 (Pape, 2005)
312 between 2000 -2003 (Atran, 2003)
500 just in 2006
Most SA carried out by “religious groups”
Groups need active and passive support
Does “religion” encourage support for SA?
![Page 27: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
The Case of parochial altruism:
Support for Suicide Attacks
Devotional (belief) -- prayer
Coalitional – collective participation
Empirical overlap (r=.4) but distinct constructs
Different components of religion different
consequences?
![Page 28: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Two Hypotheses
Religious Belief Hypothesis (e.g. Harris, 2004)
Coalitional Commitment Hypothesis
![Page 29: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Support for Suicide AttacksGinges, Hansen, & Norenzayan, 2009
Study 1: Muslim Palestinians (representative )
Study 2: Muslim Palestinians (student sample)
Study 3: Orthodox Jewish settlers in WB
Study 4: Cross cultural sample
Prayer frequency vs. religious attendance
Demographic and attitude controls
![Page 30: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
A newspaper report of Mahmud Muhamad Shaldan which describes him as a “martyr … sacrificing himself before theage of 18” while killing three Israeli soldiers in Gaza on the 2nd of December 2002.
![Page 31: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
Support for martyrdom attacks against Israel
Regular attenders 2.11 times more likely to support
Wald = 12.11 , 95% CI for OR = 1.16--3.02, P=0.01
No independent effect of prayer frequency
Control variables: gender, age, economic
satisfaction, education, refugee status, support for
Oslo process*, support for sharia*
Study 1: Palestinian Representative
Sample, 1999 (N=1151)
![Page 32: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
Agreement that “Islam encourages or requires
martyrdom attacks”
Regular attenders 3.58 times more likely to support
Wald = 14.45, 95% CI for OR= 1.45--6.47, P=0.004
No independent effect of prayer frequency
Controls: gender, age, economic satisfaction,
education, refugee status*, ID with Hamas & PIJ*,
dehumanization of Israelis.
Study 2: Palestinian University Student
Sample 2006 (N=719)
![Page 33: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
The tombstone of Baruch Goldstein which describes him as
“murdered as a martyr of God”. On the 25th of February, 1994
Goldstein died while killing 29 Muslims at prayer, and injuring
60 others, in the “Cave of the Patriarchs”, a site holy to both
Muslims and Jews located in Hebron, the West Bank
Study 3: Israeli Orthodox
Jewish Sample (N=198)
Agreement that “Goldstein’s act
was heroic”
Experimental prime: prayer vs
synagogue atterndance
![Page 34: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
0
5
10
15
20
25
Prayer Prime No Prime Synagogue Prime
Perc
ent
callin
g s
uic
ide a
ttack "
extr
em
ely
hero
ic"
P=.09
P=.04
![Page 35: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
10-Nation (BBC) Survey of
Religious Beliefs
• Mexico (Catholic)
• Great Britain
(Protestant)
• Russia (Orthodox)
• India (Hindu)
• Indonesia (Muslim)
• Israel (Jewish)
4704 participants
52.7% female
age 18 to over 55
Variation in SES & income
Major religious groups
Joint agreement with:
1) “ I am willing to die for my God (beliefs)”
2) “I blame other religions for the problems of the world”
![Page 36: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
CA
TH
OL
IC
(ME
XIC
O)
PR
OT
ES
TA
NT
(U
K)
MU
SL
IM
(IN
DO
NE
SIA
)
HIN
DU
(IN
DIA
)
JE
WIS
H (
ISR
AE
L)
OR
TH
OD
OX
(RU
SS
IA)
FU
LL
SA
MP
LE
Prayer
Organizedattendance
#
#
**
*
***
***
***
Odds
of
support
ing c
om
bative m
art
yrd
om
Controls: age, sex,
SES, education,
human dev index
HDI* partly
explains c-c
variability
![Page 37: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
Alternative Accounts
Self-selection of religious attendees; militant
imams; recruitment & propaganda in mosques
Not a counter-explanation
Controlled for support for political Islam, Hamas / PIJ
Controlled for support for peace process
Causal evidence in experiment with Jewish settlers
Cross cultural replication
![Page 38: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
Another Objection
Prayer/meditation less predictive of religiosity /
belief in God than religious attendance?
“Religion important in my life” (Palestinian sample)
prayer 6.6 X; attendance null
“I believe in God” (cross cultural sample)
prayer 7.4 X; attendance 2.6 X
![Page 39: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
Things you might have heard that I
didn’t say…
Religious attendance is bad
Many positive benefits (social capital,
happiness, health)
Political/ historical context unimportant
Religious attendance can mobilize groups acc
to the context
To be prosocial we need religion Religion an old social technology; secular institutions
are new but can be effective too
![Page 40: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
Conclusions & Implications
Religious conflict and religious prosociality are
two sides of same coin
Different features of religion different
outcomes
“Reframing” group boundaries
![Page 41: Religion as Parochial Altruism - University of Oxford · Bin Laden vs. Gandhi paradox vs. Religion and Intergroup Conflict "Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals](https://reader033.vdocuments.site/reader033/viewer/2022050509/5f9a00140cdcb900631ae358/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
www.psych.ubc.ca/~ara