Credibility enhancing displays
From wikireligiosus
The term Credibility enhancing displays (CREDs) has been coined by Joseph Henrich in order to bridge cognitive and social perspectives on the biocultural evolution of cultural and especially religious behaviors.
Contents |
Definition
According to Henrich, humans evolved a cognition ready to cross-check verbal expressions of potential models with their deeds. "Actions speak louder than words". CREDs are those observable behaviors ("displays") that "provide the learner with reliable measures of the model's actual degree of commitment to (or belief in) the representations that he has inexpensively expressed symbolically (e.g., verbally)."
Thus, narratives which are supported by CREDs are having bigger chances to be accepted and passed on - especially, if they are relating to supernatural agents (as e.g. ancestors or gods), whose presence has to be believed in order to affect behaviors.
Therefore, certain behaviors as e.g. ritual prayer, sacrifice or celibacy might have a stronger chance to qualify as CREDs in diverse religious contexts, linking with religious narratives in the process of cultural evolution as "belief-ritual packages".
CRED-supported groups may potentially acquire additional biocultural success:
- stronger in-group cooperation (e.g. in wars)
- reproductive advantages (e.g. by endorsing marriages)
- acceptance of their catchy behaviors by others (e.g. by conversion)
Main Arguments
- The CRED-model is linking cognitive and social perspectives in the field of evolutionary studies with a shared terminology.
- In contrast to classic definitions of costly signals, CREDs don't have to be costly. For example, it is a non-costly CRED to convince people to eat an edible mushroom by just doing it visibly.
- The CRED-model is consistent with empirical studies e.g. on learning habits of children or people's attribution of credibility to others depending on their actions.
- The CRED-model is able to solve the Mickey Mouse problem: As people are checking the behaviors of others in relation to supernatural agents, they are usually able to discern which narratives are believed as being true and relevant and which are (re-)told just as (e.g. amusing) fiction.
Main Objections
None yet.
Literature
Henrich, Joseph (2009). The evolution of costly displays, cooperation, and religion:Credibility enhancing displays and their implications for cultural evolution. Evolution and Human Behaviour, 30, 244-260
Blogposts
Bible belter, Epiphenomen, January 2010
