Darwinian Bases of Religious Meaning: Interactionism, General Interpretive Theories, and 6E Cognitive Science

Abstract Interactionism holds that explanatory and interpretive projects are mutually enriching. If so, then the evolutionary cognitive science of religions’ theories should aid concerning religious meaning. Although accounts typically focus on local particular, interpreters over past century have construed Freud Marx as offering general theories. So, precedent for theorizing exists. 4E science, which champions how cognition is embedded in natural cultural settings, extended into external structures, enacted via motor routines, embodied representations rooted human bodily form, has encouraged researchers. Theories especially embraced a sweeping view meaning attends to emotions’ role their origins. That inspires 6E emotional evolved dimensions too opens up possibility broadly Darwinian character. Evolved systems qualify maturationally cognition, exhibits distinctive constellation features. The by-product theory representations’ engagement fosters success. Representations with some minimal violation intuitive expectations ontological category grab attention, stick memory, preserve many automatic inferences accompanying category. empirical evidence this other elaborations suggests it discloses dynamics associated emotions tend guide pursuit meanings systematically toward well-worn grooves semantic landscape.