Religion, emergence, and the origins of meaning : : beyond Durkheim and Rappaport / / by Paul Cassell.

• Superior document: Philosophical Studies in Science and Religion, Volume 5
• VerfasserIn: Cassell, Paul, 1964-
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, Netherlands ;, Boston, Massachusetts : : Brill,, 2015.; ©2015
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Language: English
• Series: Philosophical studies in science and religion ; Volume 5.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (203 p.)
• Notes: Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Boston University, 2012.

Why is religion so important to individuals and societies? What gives religion its profound meaningfulness and longevity? Enhancing perspectives taken from sociology and ritual theory, Religion, Emergence, and the Origins of Meaning describes how ‘emergence theory’ – developed to make sense of life and mind – explains why religious communities are special when compared to ordinary human social groups. Paul Cassell argues that in religious ritual, beliefs concerning unseen divine agencies are made uniquely potent, inviting and guiding powerful, alternative experiences, and giving religious groups a form of organization distinct from ordinary human social groups. Going beyond the foundational descriptions of Émile Durkheim and Roy Rappaport, Cassell utilizes the best of 21st century emergence theory to characterize religion’s emergent dynamics.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Religion as an Emergent Phenomenon -- Rappaport, Revisited -- Emergence and Semiotics – a Primer -- Religion’s Emergent Characteristics -- David Sloan Wilson and Daniel Dennett – Religion without Meaning -- Émile Durkheim and the Emergence of Meaningful Social Agency -- Varieties of Religious Meaning -- Appendix: Confucianism as a Test Case -- Works Cited -- Index.