Michael Blume
Religion Associate Editor
Michael Blume was born in 1976 in Filderstadt, Germany. He lectured Religious Studies at the universities of Tübingen, Heidelberg, Leipzig and currently in Jena. His doctoral thesis focused on theories on religion in the brain sciences (the so-called "neurotheologies”). Dr. Blume then specialized on the reproductive potentials of religiosity - the complex workings of religious communities augmenting cooperation, birth and survival rates (and thus: evolutionary success) of religious people in comparison to their (more) secular neighbors.
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Michael Blume
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Michael Blume
July 16, 2012
Evolutionary Studies of Atheism on the Rise
Scientists and philosophers subject atheism to an evolutionary analysis. In recent years, we have witnessed one of the most exciting scientific developments of the modern era: the evolutionary study of the belief in supernatural agents and transcendent experiences. In fact, it was Charles Darwin himself, a learned theologian, who founded the evolutionary study of religion and spirituality.
June 8, 2013
The Evolutionary Power Of Ritual
Religious rituals are effective because they are seemingly defying rationality!In 2003, Richard Sosis and Eric Bressler achieved a breakthrough by applying the “costly signaling theory”. According to this theory, religious rituals are able to promote intragroup cooperation exactly by bringing up purely or partially non-rational behaviors – signaling to onlookers that true believers are at hand.
December 19, 2013
Reproductive vs. Cooperative Theories In The Evolutionary Studies Of Religion
Religious passion for traditions concerning sexual mores and family turns out to be a product of the finer workings of biological and cultural evolution.Ever wondered why many religious people seem to be especially passionate about traditions concerning sexual mores and family? Somewhat ironically, this turns out to be a product of the finer workings of biological and cultural evolution.
