A Natural History of Religion: The Origin and Propagation of Religious Belief

Abstract

This paper investigates how elements of human nature influence both the formation and propagation of religious belief. I discuss theories proposed by philosophers including: Richard Dawkins, Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Marx, David Hume, and John Haidt, which seek to understand religious belief through natural means. By exploring how each of these theories account for religious belief, I am able to develop a complex a dialectic which links all of the philosophies discussed. This dialectic is formed through the process of critiquing a theory then supplementing it by introducing another theory which can sufficiently overcome the issues of the previous. The conclusion of this paper concerns the necessity of understanding religion as more than purely an inessential feature of human nature. When understanding religion, we must consider the nature of its origins and its propagation; however, we must also appreciate the role religion has played throughout the history of humanity and how this has impacted upon the shape of civilisation.