Marcia Pally: Just How Aggressive Are We? Biological Research for Theological Questions on the Nature of Humanity
Öffentlicher Abendvortrag von Prof. Marcia Pally, New York University/HU Berlin Einführung: PD Dr. Magnus Schlette, FEST Heidelberg Response: Dr. Aaron Langenfeld, Paderborn Im Rahmen der Tagung "Tomasello and Religion. Exploring the Philosophical and Theological Relevance of Evolutionary Anthropology" der Katholischen Akademie in Berlin e.V. in Kooperation mit DFG, FEST Heidelberg, German Pragmatism Network, Universität zu Köln 12.06.2021
This presentation looks at how the development of human cognition, as described by Michael Tomasello, contributed to the emergence of ritual and religion. Tomasello describes the steps from H. sapien playful exchange of gestures and facial expression to the development of complex, collaborative activities not only regarding present tasks but past events and imagined circumstances. This paper explores (i) how these collaborative capacities regarding shared, imagined worlds form the ground for H. sapien play, from sports to religious ritual, and (ii) the function that ritual has at it emerges from human cognitive-emotional development.