We're happy to let you know that a new paper by Piotr Szymanek, J. P. Grodniewicz, and Mateusz Hohol titled "Cognitive artifacts in the evolution of cultural systems of beliefs and practices" is out in Method and Theory in the Study of Religion. They study was funded from the National Science Centre, Poland. Grant title: Cognitive artifacts on various time scales: An integrative approach. Grant ID: OPUS, 2021/43/B/HS1/02868.
Higlights
- Culturally significant objects can function as cognitive artifacts, meaning they support and extend human cognitive processes in religious contexts.
- There is a lack of research connecting cognitive artifacts to theories in the Cognitive and Evolutionary Sciences of Religion, despite their recognized importance.
- The study investigates how cognitive artifacts shape religious beliefs and rituals, influencing their content, spread, and dynamics across different time scales.
- Using an adaptive systems approach, the authors identify four key mechanisms through which cognitive artifacts affect cultural evolution: transmission, theological development, costly signaling, and ritual-based social cohesion.
- The research offers a framework for exploring how material culture interacts with cognition and drives the evolution of religion and culture.
Find the paper in the open access here.
Szymanek, P., Grodniewicz, J. P., & Hohol, M. (2025). Cognitive Artifacts in the Evolution of Cultural Systems of Beliefs and Practices. Method & Theory in the Study of Religion. https://doi.org/10.1163/15700682-bja10145
