04-05-2007, 04:55 PM
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#1
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Alcoholic Primate
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: State College
Posts: 1,737
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I am in a class on the biocultural evolution of religion. I have a term paper (about 8 pages double spaced) due in about a month that I need to come up with a topic for. I need to be able to find some kind of scholarly articles on it.
My current idea:
Growth rates of various religions with an examination of why certain religions are doing better than others (sort of a memetic analysis)
This book might be a good start
Does anybody have any good ideas to throw at me?
"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." -Richard Dawkins
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04-05-2007, 06:02 PM
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#2
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The Original Rhinoqurilla
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Somewhere Not-So-Cold with Mountains
Posts: 4,829
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I'd recommend Dennett's Breaking the Spell: Religion as Natural Phenomena , it's a very interesting look at how the religion meme functions. If nothing else, you could look into what Dennett used for sources for that book.
Wait just a minute-You expect me to believe-That all this misbehaving-Grew from one enchanted tree? And helpless to fight it-We should all be satisfied-With this magical explanation-For why the living die-And why it's hard to be a decent human being - David Bazan
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04-05-2007, 06:25 PM
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#4
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I Live Here
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: prick up your ears
Posts: 20,553
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Quote:
DrunkMonkey wrote
Does anybody have any good ideas to throw at me?
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why not discuss Cal's Christ psychotic hypothesis........
You can always turn tricks for a few extra bucks. If looks are an issue, there's the glory hole option, but don't expect more than ... tips.
~ Philiboid Studge
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04-05-2007, 06:43 PM
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#5
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I Live Here
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 23,211
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Yay, that's IT!
"Those who most loudly proclaim their honesty are least likely to possess it."
"Atheism: rejecting all absurdity." S.H.
"Reality, the God alternative"
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04-05-2007, 07:11 PM
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#6
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Alcoholic Primate
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: State College
Posts: 1,737
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Already read it for the class. :thumbsup:
Also reading "The God Delusion" and "The End of Faith". Good stuff.
"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." -Richard Dawkins
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04-05-2007, 07:14 PM
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#7
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Alcoholic Primate
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: State College
Posts: 1,737
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Quote:
Choobus wrote
Quote:
DrunkMonkey wrote
Does anybody have any good ideas to throw at me?
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why not discuss Cal's Christ psychotic hypothesis........
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As great a topic as that would be I think I need to find something with more research behind it. Any topic that I do will tend to treat religion as sort of a virus or meme (which is what the class is essentially about) but I don't know that doing a paper on it being a mental disorder would be relevant to the class, at least as long as there isn't much research on it.
"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." -Richard Dawkins
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04-05-2007, 07:50 PM
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#8
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Guest
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A class treating religion as a memetic virus? Sweet.
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