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Coerced coordination, not cooperation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2016

Montserrat Soler  and
Hillary L. Lenfesty
Montserrat Soler
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043 solerm@mail.montclair.edu https://sites.google.com/site/montserratsoleranthro/
Hillary L. Lenfesty
Affiliation:
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104. lenfesty@asu.edu https://asu.academia.edu/HillaryLenfesty
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Abstract

Norenzayan et al. propose that Big God (BG) religions are large-group cooperative enterprises that promote internal harmony and higher fertility, resulting in “mutually beneficial exchanges” for those involved. We examine the possible distributions of costs and benefits within BG religions and propose that they are, instead, successful coordinating mechanisms that rely on intragroup competition and exploitation between the classes and sexes.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e24
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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