Barkow, Jerome H.

Jerome H. Barkow (b. 1944) is a Canadian anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist whose work has significant implications for understanding religious belief and behavior. Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University, Barkow pioneered the application of evolutionary theory to social sciences, arguing that human psychological mechanisms, including those underlying religious belief, evolved through natural selection. His edited volume "Missing the Revolution: Darwinism for Social Scientists" (2006) challenged social scientists to incorporate evolutionary perspectives into their disciplines. Barkow's approach to religion emphasizes its adaptive functions, viewing religious beliefs and practices as products of evolved cognitive systems that served survival and reproductive advantages in ancestral environments. His work has influenced debates about whether religiosity is an evolutionary adaptation or byproduct, contributing to the naturalistic study of religion and challenging traditional theological explanations for religious phenomena.