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Does commitment theory explain non-kin altruism in religious contexts?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2005

Hector N. Qirko
Hector N. Qirko*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN37996-0720
*
hqirko@utk.edu
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Abstract:

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Atran & Norenzayan (A&N) fail to address several problems with commitment theory as it relates to non-kin altruism in religious contexts. They (1) provide little support for the contention that religious sacrifices function as signals, (2) do not distinguish between religious specialists and lay believers, and (3) conflate definitions of cooperation and sacrifice.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 27 , Issue 6 , December 2004 , pp. 746 - 747
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004