Anthropology and the cognitive science of religion

Anthropology and the cognitive science of religion
The study of cognitive science in religion studies the concepts of religion from the cognitive and evolutionary perspectives. Such a study employs methods and theories from a broadened range of fields that includes psychology, evolution as well as cognitive anthropology. The term cognition creates an emphasis on the unconscious, and habitual reflection of cognitive patterns and these contribute to the formulation of religious beliefs. Cognition is also a strategic response to the historical complexities found within religion. The use of models, as well as findings from the outside of a currently accepted notion of the contents of anthropology, have a long history as well. Accordingly, anthropology exists within a condition of dynamic tension in its definition as well as a separated field yet taking ideas from other diverse fields. The approaches employed within the field of anthropology suggest perspectives that, in turn, provide a character to the methods by which data is analyzed. However, it becomes quite evident that the approaches used and perspectives provided within the field need to be questioned. Issues of globalization, ethnicities, nationalism are at a larger part shared by sociologists, historians, and political scientists but the perspectival diversities emerge and are often derived from the traditions included in the long-term studies as well as the close ethnographic descriptions and analysis. The ethos of th…