Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Liberal Democracy
- PART I FUNDAMENTALS: EVOLUTION, PSYCHOLOGY, REASONING, AND RELIGION
- 2 Evolution, Psychology, and Reason
- 3 Religion
- PART II A HISTORICAL LOOK AT THE STATE, DEMOCRACY, AND RELIGION
- PART III THE INSTITUTIONS OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
- PART IV CHALLENGES TO LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
2 - Evolution, Psychology, and Reason
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Liberal Democracy
- PART I FUNDAMENTALS: EVOLUTION, PSYCHOLOGY, REASONING, AND RELIGION
- 2 Evolution, Psychology, and Reason
- 3 Religion
- PART II A HISTORICAL LOOK AT THE STATE, DEMOCRACY, AND RELIGION
- PART III THE INSTITUTIONS OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
- PART IV CHALLENGES TO LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
- References
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Summary
…it is the understanding that sets man above the rest of sensible beings, and gives him all the advantage and dominion which he has over them…
(John Locke)How so many absurd rules of conduct, as well as so many absurd religious beliefs, have originated, we do not know; nor how it is that they have become, in all quarters of the world, so deeply impressed on the minds of men; but it is worthy of remark that a belief constantly inculcated during the early years of life, while the brain is impressionable, appears to acquire almost the nature of an instinct; and the very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.
Charles DarwinThis book traces the evolution of a human's power to reason, and the link between this power and the potential for organizing societies as democracies. It is common today in economics and other branches of the social sciences to assume that individuals are rational actors. Like many assumptions made to simplify scientific modeling, the assumption of individual rationality is only partially accurate. Human psychology is far more complex than rational actor models presume. We begin, therefore, by examining human psychology.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Reason, Religion, and Democracy , pp. 31 - 50Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009