Culture

Author: Jesse Bering. Publisher: Nicholas Brealey. (4/5)

‘God (and others like Him) evolved in human minds as an “adaptive illusion”, one that directly helped our ancestors solve the unique problem of human gossip.’
 
Thus runs the central thesis of Jesse Bering’s debut book, The God Instinct. It is – let me nail my colours to the mast – a great book in various ways, written with characteristic wit by a talented experimentalist and science populariser: Jesse’s research publications are classics in the nascent field of science of religion, and his Scientific American column – Bering in Mind – is probably the sexiest psychology digest in the world. True to form, The God Instinct is both erudite and endearing. Jesse draws from both academic research and autobiographical reminiscences, masterfully merging data from psychological experiments and personal experiences to make his case. And it’s not an easy case to make; even among the overwhelmingly secular scholars in the field, The God Instinct presents a minority report with its evolutionary adaptationism and emphatic atheism. That Jesse is so persuasive is a testament to his rhetorical prowess. My highest praise for this book is that, whether right or wrong, it’s interesting. In grinding his theoretical and ideological axes, Jesse is sticking his neck out. It’s a bold, laudable move for a young scientist writing his first book. Kudos, Jesse. 
 
            The God Instinct culminates in the claim that belief in ‘a morally-invested, reactive Other’ were selected for in evolution. In other words, our ancestors who believed in God were more likely to produce offspring than the ones who didn’t and this belief in God is somehow passed down the generations. Finally, Jesse throws caution to the wind, audaciously asserting that this adaptationist account of “the God instinct” is unavoidable, given the logic of evolution and the current evidence.             God, Jesse contends, is surplus to requirements when it comes to explaining biological and psychological facts.           
 
            At this point, Jesse’s confidence is misplaced; there is nothing unavoidable about his conclusion. Like most evolutionary psychological theories Jesse’s is massively unsupported by data. Jesse might be right or wrong about God’s non-existence, but it doesn’t flow logically out of his science. As it stands, Jesse’s theory is interesting and promising, but not yet quite persuasive.
 
            I’d been looking forward to The God Instinct for a while now, having first read draft chapters around this time last year. When it finally arrived in my pigeonhole, I read it excitedly in one sitting and was pleased to discover that it was just as clever as I’d hoped. Doctoral research and its associated tasks can get old fast, even if the research topic is juicy. So, Jesse’s book came at an opportune time for me, as I enter the final stretch of my PhD. candidacy after what feels like a very long two and a half years. His creative theories raise all kinds of empirical and philosophical questions, and I’m excited at the prospect of attempting to answer them. Now, go buy the book. And if it inspires you to join us in our research endeavours, I’d love to hear from you.