How are religious concepts created? A form of cognition and its effects. (March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Takayama, Zenko
• Is Part Of: Cognitive systems research. Volume 41(2017)
• Page Start: 73
• Page End: 83
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Subjects: Religious concepts -- Cognitive science of religion -- Unifying-induction -- Definition of religion, the concept of religion; Cognition -- Periodicals; Cognitive engineering (System design) -- Periodicals; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; 153.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2016.10.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1389-0417

Abstract

Abstract: Science that needs logical demonstration has failed to eliminate religious concepts. It is as if they have own validity that cannot be broken by scientific knowledge we trust the most at present. In this paper, I will attempt to establish a new cognitive theory to help explain the basis of belief in religious concepts. This form of cognition will be named simply unifying-induction or unifying-inductive cognition. As illustrations, I will consider some typical religious discourses involving concepts such as "all-in-one" or "one is everything." It is these typically religious discourses that science has not been able to easily sweep away by its logical scientific proofs. In the end, although we perhaps cannot know if the religious beings such as gods really exist or not, we may understand these concepts are very the creation of human cognition. It also has important implications for other disciplines such as robotics, developmental psychology, cognitive archaeology, the history of science, the study of religion and so on.