초록 열기/닫기 버튼
The cognitive science of religion (CSR) has over 30 years of history. However, the language of CSR is still unfamiliar to contemporary scholars studying religion in Korea. This unfamiliarity must be resolved so that important advances in CSR can be carefully reviewed in the Korean academic community. This study analyzes how CSR deals with the concept of religion and its implications. First, CSR raises new research questions based on the achievements of classical religious studies. Second, it explores the evolutionary origins, cognitive mechanisms, and cultural success factors, not of religion per se, but of thoughts and behaviors considered religious, which do not contradict the lessons provided by debates on the concept of religion in classical religious studies. Third, even in naturalistic approaches to religion, where CSR belongs, there are controversies regarding the concept of religion between the cognitive byproduct model and adaptationist model. Fourth, the standard CSR model shows that several research questions in the study of religion can be empirically explored when the privileged value attributed to the concept of religion is reserved. Although CSR inherits the debates over the concept of religion from classical religious studies, it differs in its exploration of the evolutionary and cognitive factors that explain why religion is difficult to define as an autonomous system.
키워드열기/닫기 버튼
religion, concept, classical religious studies, cognitive science of religion, evolution, naturalism, cognitive byproduct model, adaptationist model
