Cognitive and behavioral research on religion has focused most in the last years on aspects which could be deemed ＂unconscious＂： inner mechanisms, innate patterns, or hidden cognitive structures broadly shared by h...Cognitive and behavioral research on religion has focused most in the last years on aspects which could be deemed ＂unconscious＂： inner mechanisms, innate patterns, or hidden cognitive structures broadly shared by humans. Very often, the ongoing research programs resort to computational models of mind in which the conscious side of that experience is mainly ignored. It becomes urgent to fill in the perceived gap, suggesting some lines of study that are able to account for the conscious dimensions of religion. An opportunity is offered by the new paths recently opened by extensive experimental research on conscious aspects of human experience and the value that leads authors to attribute to these features. Seizing on this opportunity, the paper reviews the state of the question and the available literature on conscious and unconscious aspects of mind and behavior. Taking it a step further, the paper tries to apply these general principles to the specific study of religious mind and behavior. Furthermore, some lines for future research are proposed as a result of the suggested program.展开更多
文摘Cognitive and behavioral research on religion has focused most in the last years on aspects which could be deemed ＂unconscious＂： inner mechanisms, innate patterns, or hidden cognitive structures broadly shared by humans. Very often, the ongoing research programs resort to computational models of mind in which the conscious side of that experience is mainly ignored. It becomes urgent to fill in the perceived gap, suggesting some lines of study that are able to account for the conscious dimensions of religion. An opportunity is offered by the new paths recently opened by extensive experimental research on conscious aspects of human experience and the value that leads authors to attribute to these features. Seizing on this opportunity, the paper reviews the state of the question and the available literature on conscious and unconscious aspects of mind and behavior. Taking it a step further, the paper tries to apply these general principles to the specific study of religious mind and behavior. Furthermore, some lines for future research are proposed as a result of the suggested program.
