3.8 Article

Religious belief and cooperation: a view from Viking-Age Scandinavia

Journal

RELIGION BRAIN & BEHAVIOR
Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages 2-22

Publisher

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/2153599X.2017.1395764

Keywords

Vikings; Norse religion; Scandinavia; cooperation; prosociality; socio-political complexity; moralizing high gods; supernatural monitoring and punishment

Categories

Funding

  1. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [895-2011-1009]
  2. Canada Research Chairs Program [228117, 231256]
  3. Canada Foundation for Innovation [203808]
  4. British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund [862-804231]
  5. Simon Fraser University [14518]
  6. Swedish Research Council [2015-00466]
  7. Swedish Research Council [2015-00466] Funding Source: Swedish Research Council

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This study focuses on two hypotheses at the heart of a debate concerning cooperation, socio-political complexity, and religious belief. One of these contends that moralizing high gods (MHGs) were central to the development of complex societies. The key mechanism here is supernatural monitoring, which is the perception that gods observe humans and punish those who commit transgressions. The other hypothesis - the broad supernatural punishment (BSP) hypothesis - contends that it was fear of supernatural monitoring and punishment by non-MHG deities that fostered the development of socio-political complexity, and that MHGs followed rather than preceded the appearance of complex societies. To test between these hypotheses, we examined evidence for pre-Christian beliefs in Viking-Age Scandinavia (c. 750-1050 CE). We sought answers to two questions: (1) did the Vikings perceive themselves subject to supernatural monitoring and punishment? And (2) were the Norse gods MHGs? The evidence indicates that the Vikings believed themselves to be monitored by supernatural entities in some contexts, and that they could be punished for certain transgressions. However, the Norse gods do not meet all the criteria for recognition as MHGs. Taken together, these findings support the idea that socio-political complexity was fostered by non-MHG deities and not by MHGs.

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