Publication details
Are cultures immune systems or blueprints of a systemic design?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical (without peer review) |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
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| Description | Sorensen’s book marks an important milestone in theorizing in the cognitive and evolutionary study of religion (and beyond) by bringing a novel synthesis of current theories of human cognition and affection, immunology, systemic thinking, and classic anthropological and sociological theories of the human condition. Why Cultures Persist is impressive both in its originality and scope, and I hope the book will inspire further theorizing as well as empirical tests, which would help us understand the formation and persistence of religious systems and their integration into other cultural systems. In this spirit, I offer a commentary on the usefulness of comparing cultures to immune systems and raise questions that may help further advance Sorensen’s proposition. |
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