RELIGIA A PRZEMOC W PERSPEKTYWIE ANTROPOLOGII KOGNITYWNEJ. UWAGI POLEMICZNE NA KANWIE PUBLIKACJI PASCALA BOYERA

RELIGIONS AND VIOLENCE THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGY. SOME CRITICAL REMARKS IN CONNECTION WITH PASCAL BOYER’S PUBLICATIONThe question regarding the religiously motivated xenophobia, aggression and violence seems to constantly return as an area of special interest of social sciences. At the basis of all explanations of the above problems, one finds the assumption that the commonly shared religious beliefs generate a sense of belonging and group identity and consequently lead to a generalized distrust and sometimes, aggression towards others. The article shows the above problems from a different perspective which is provided by cognitive anthropology. The analysis of the above phenomenon on the basis of Pascal Boyer’s conception leads to a presentation of religion as a signal of group identity which sets in motion the so called coalitional intuitions; the latter refer to an implicit image of a group as a coalitional institution. A good example of the above phenomenon are the contemporary fundamentalist movements which are characterized by a legitimization of aggression for the purpose of religious renewal. The acceptance of the religiously motivated aggression is recognized by Boyer as a consequence of the increased likelihood of apostasy in the modern, pluralist society. Spectacular acts of aggression are a message which is sent to other members of the group. They signalize that apostasy is very costly and thus by raising the stake, they constitute a method of reducing the likelihood of its occurrence among the other group members. A critical evaluation of the conception narrows down the scope of its relevance, yet it recognizes it as a valuable theoretical contribution to the research on the mechanisms of religiously motivated aggression in the modern world