Practicing Safe Sects: Religious Reproduction in Scientific and Philosophical Perspective

This monograph examines religious belief and behavior through the lens of evolutionary and cognitive science, arguing that supernatural agent beliefs arise from natural psychological mechanisms that once aided human survival but now pose challenges in pluralistic societies. Shults develops a naturalistic account of religion that challenges theistic worldviews by explaining religious phenomena without reference to supernatural causation.

Drawing on cognitive science of religion, evolutionary psychology, and computational modeling, Shults argues that belief in supernatural agents emerges from the interaction of evolved cognitive biases, particularly agent detection, theory of mind, and coalitional psychology. These mechanisms, which helped early humans navigate social environments and detect threats, become "hyperactive" in producing god concepts that bind groups together through shared supernatural beliefs. The work synthesizes research from anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience to demonstrate how religious beliefs spread through populations via these cognitive attractors.

Central to Shults's argument is the claim that while supernatural agent beliefs fostered cooperation within early human groups, they simultaneously generate intergroup conflict by creating rigid in-group/out-group boundaries. He contends that theistic religions inherently promote sectarian reproduction—the tendency for religious groups to maintain distinct identities through supernatural authorization of particular norms and practices. This reproductive strategy, though adaptive in ancestral environments, becomes maladaptive in contemporary pluralistic contexts where diverse groups must cooperate across religious boundaries.

The work engages critically with philosophical defenses of theism, particularly those that attempt to reconcile religious belief with scientific understanding. Shults argues that naturalistic explanations of religious cognition undermine appeals to religious experience or tradition as evidence for supernatural realities. He extends this critique to liberal theological attempts to preserve religious belief through metaphorical or non-realist interpretations, maintaining that these approaches fail to address the fundamental cognitive mechanisms driving supernatural belief.

The monograph's significance lies in its systematic application of scientific research to longstanding philosophical questions about religion's nature and value. By providing naturalistic explanations for religious phenomena, Shults challenges both traditional theistic metaphysics and accommodationist positions that seek to preserve religion's cultural role while abandoning supernatural commitments. His analysis suggests that addressing contemporary global challenges requires moving beyond supernatural beliefs that inevitably generate sectarian divisions, advocating instead for secular frameworks that can facilitate cooperation across traditional religious boundaries.