What lies Behind our Evolved Belief Preference?
So what are the kinds of things that natural selection encourages us to believe?
Natural selection shapes us to increase the number of grandchildren that we have (since this increases the spread of our genes in the population). This means that:
- We have to be good at caring for our children so that they survive to have their own children,
- We have to have lots of children (but not so many that we cannot care for them all), and, of course,
- We have to survive long enough to have those children and to care for them.
To improve our performance in these areas, we have evolved, through natural selection, physical traits (such as opposable thumbs, sharp antlers, attractive plumage), and mental traits (such as the mental skills to make full use of opposable thumbs, the aggressive temperament to make use of sharp antlers, or the confident persona that will help us to attract mates by showing off beautiful plumage). Here it is proposed that we have also evolved a preference for certain types of belief (primal beliefs).
A Useful Breakdown
A useful way of categorizing the types of primal belief that we might have is to look at ways that we could increase our chances of having grandchildren. Attracting a good mate is key, so we need to present a confident image, which is easier if we feel supported and comforted by those around us (good friends are very helpful when starting and navigating relationships), if we believe that we are special (better in some way than those competing for the objects of our affection) and if we understand how the world works (our confidence takes a dent whenever we walk, face-first into a door that opens the other way) . It is also easier to survive and to attract a good mate if we have high status in a strong group. Furthermore, if we interact well with the world (if we have the personality, the resources, and the talent to succeed) our chances of surviving and mating are increased. This breakdown is illustrated in the graphic below
A Useful Breakdown (with Illustrations)
To convince the reader that these categories are relevant and important, here are some illustrations of behavioral traits that fall into them.
If you are not convinced that these categories are fundamentally important components of who we are, follow the link on the right.
An important clarification:
The mechanics of evolution mean that we cannot evolve specific, complex beliefs (e.g. we have not evolved to believe in Thor), but we can evolve simple preferences for certain types of belief (when someone suggests that Thor exists, it is a belief that promises an explanation for, and possible control over, otherwise scarily random and inexplicable storms, and so is an enticing and comforting concept that we have an evolved urge to accept).
