Religious and Sacred Imperatives in Human Conflict. By Scott Atran and Jeremy Ginges. Science, Vol. 336, May 18, 2012.
Abstract:
Religion,
in promoting outlandish beliefs and costly rituals, increases ingroup trust but
also may increase mistrust and conflict with outgroups. Moralizing gods emerged
over the last few millennia, enabling large-scale cooperation, and
sociopolitical conquest even without war. Whether for cooperation or conflict,
sacred values, like devotion to God or a collective cause, signal group
identity and operate as moral imperatives that inspire nonrational exertions
independent of likely outcomes. In conflict situations, otherwise mundane
sociopolitical preferences may become sacred values, acquiring immunity to
material incentives. Sacred values sustain intractable conflicts that defy
“business-like” negotiation, but also provide surprising opportunities for
resolution.
Social Warfare. By Scott Atran. Foreign Policy, March 15, 2013.
Psychology Out of the Laboratory. By Jeremy Ginges, Scott Atran, Sonya Sachdeva, and Douglas Medin. American Psychologist, Vol. 66, No. 6 (September 2011).
Scott Atran: “US foreign policy is set by people who’ve almost no insight into human welfare, education, labour, desires or hopes” – video. Posted by David Shariatmadari and Christian Bennett. The Guardian, October 31, 2011.
Talking to the Enemy. By Scott Atran. Video. theRSAorg, November 18, 2010. YouTube.
Scott Atran: Reacting to Terror. Video. AgendaStevePaikin, April 27, 2010. YouTube.
