What is transcendence, how did it evolve, and is it beneficial?

Transcendence is an important subject of investigation within the scientific study of religion and beyond, and as such, presents a Hilbert problem that must be addressed. We lay out three subcomponents of this problem: (1) what is transcendence; (2) what are its evolutionary antecedents; and (3) is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religion, brain & behavior brain & behavior, 2017-10, Vol.7 (4), p.361-365
Main Authors: Gorelik, Gregory, Shackelford, Todd K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
evolutionary psychology
Hilbert problem
selflessness
Transcendence
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Summary:Transcendence is an important subject of investigation within the scientific study of religion and beyond, and as such, presents a Hilbert problem that must be addressed. We lay out three subcomponents of this problem: (1) what is transcendence; (2) what are its evolutionary antecedents; and (3) is it beneficial? We argue that transcendence should primarily be understood as a psychological state of "selflessness" whose evolutionary antecedents suggest four semi-distinct types of transcendence (see Gorelik, G. (2016). The evolution of transcendence. Evolutionary Psychological Science, 2 (4), 287307.): (1) social transcendence, (2) theory of mind (ToM) transcendence, (3) aesthetic transcendence, and (4) epistemic transcendence. We conclude with some thoughts on the dangers of transcendence.
ISSN:2153-599X
2153-5981
DOI:10.1080/2153599X.2016.1249928