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Ruphus -> Academic objectivity in behavior-related science still lagging behind (Feb. 11 2016 10:26:24)
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Human related science like anthropology and behavioral science used to be dominated by established parties who produced predefined results to back up exploitative societal structure.
This is progressively changing and in consequence, together with larger funds of artifacts, insights have changed dramatically over the past ~ half century.
Yet, the dusty spirit of backwardness still roams the subjects.
A late example from today seems to be presented here: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature16980.html
quote:
Our results support the hypothesis that beliefs in moralistic, punitive and knowing gods increase impartial behaviour towards distant co-religionists, and therefore can contribute to the expansion of prosociality.
What does such a researching approach ignore?
# The phenomenon of hypocrite behavior inherent to moralism.
To achieve an objective about the tested individuals, their decisions on how and how much to donate could only be evaluated in anonymity.
# The actual ethical conditions in religious and specially punitive religious cultures. If the authors´ presumption about fear from punishment to allegedly being regulative for prosociality and higher ethics was to be holding any water, crime reports should be indicating corresponding conditions.
However, the exact opposite is true.
Regions of high abrahamic piety display the worst of criminal conditions.
# As indicated already in the last paragraph, what has also been ignored is the long known fact that punishment does not work as preventive measure against crime, neither as support to social integrity.
Instead only understanding of constructive behavior does.
# The validity of an inner instance of judge, in contrast to an external instance presented with a supervising religious model.
An inner instance as condition for an ethical being cannot be escaped. An outer instance however obviously can, as it shows with the pious mind-set that appears to either be making itself invisible or convincing its god for an exception / amnesty when in supposed need for infringement.
# The segregating characteristic of most religious concepts.
It can´t be claimed that a founding of great civilizations would had been impossible as joint of diverse local traditions. In fact ancient examples of flourishing urban centers comprised of manifold ethnicities of different beliefs rather imply that an occurrence of large civilization from cultural blend should have been possible.
What stands without question on the other hand is the fact that religions have caused atrocities and injustice among men like no other mental phenomenon, and that it is producing victims and sacrifice on pragmatism, recognition, equality and peace still today.
Conclusion
With the upcoming of larger settlements, vertical social structures and monarchies major religions were founded as backup for potentates. This opportunist characteristic was maintained throughout past five millennia, with clerics as supports of exploitative regime, parasite to the people and all too often reckless warmongers.
To let these destructive mains aside and seek constructive confirmation as alleged pillars of grand civilization does not at all imply a scientifical attitude with the makers of this study.
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