Religion, Disease, and Immunology
eBook - ePub

Religion, Disease, and Immunology

  1. 248 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Religion, Disease, and Immunology

About this book

This book argues that religion has emerged over evolutionary time as a strategy for managing the transmission, contraction, and eradication of infectious disease. From purity and pollution codes to blood sacrifices and irrational beliefs, the book shows how religion supports not only the physiological immune system, but the behavioral and psychological immune systems as well. The book also addresses those moments when it appears that religion becomes maladaptive, that is, when religion causes "autoimmune problems, " such as celibacy and anti-vaccination. Engaging material ranging from evolutionary and social psychology to human behavioral ecology, biological anthropology, Darwinian medicine, and religious studies, the book proposes that in order to understand the human animal's enduring fascination with religion, one must take into account the enduring need to manage infectious disease.

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Yes, you can access Religion, Disease, and Immunology by Thomas B. Ellis in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & History of Religion. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
Bloomsbury Academic
Year
2022
Print ISBN
9781526629241
eBook ISBN
9781350188266
Edition
1
Topic
Theology & Religion
Subtopic
History of Religion

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-Title
  3. Series
  4. Dedication
  5. Title
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. 1 Introduction
  9. 2 The Biology of Religion: There Will Never Be a Darwin for the Crown of Thorns?
  10. 3 Religionā€™s Tribalism: The Behavioral Immune System
  11. 4 Religionā€™s Vital Lies and Illusions of Control: The Psychological Immune System
  12. 5 Religionā€™s Curative Violence: The Physiological Immune System
  13. 6 At War with the Body: When Religion Becomes the Infection
  14. 7 Conclusion
  15. Notes
  16. References
  17. Index
  18. Copyright