The moralization bias of gods’ minds: a cross-cultural test
Religion, Brain, and Behavior • Vol/Iss. 12(1-2) • Taylor and Francis • • Published In • Pages: 38-60 •
By Purzycki, Benjamin Grant, Willard, Aiyana K., Klocová, Eva Kundtová, Apicella, Coren, Atkinson, Quentin D., Bolyanatz, Alexander, Cohen, Emma, Handley, Carla, Henrich, Joseph, Lang, Martin, Lesorogol, Carolyn, Mathew, Sarah, McNamara, Rita A., Moya, Cristina, Norenzayan, Ara, Placek, Caitlyn D., Soler, Montserrat, Vardy, Tom, Weigel, Jonathan, Xygalatas, Dimitris, Ross, Cody T.
Hypothesis
Less educated individuals are more likely to ascribe moral concerns to both moralizing and local gods.
Note
While education seems to have a minimal effect on the degree of moral concern attributed to moralizing gods, it seems to have a slight negative effect on the attribution of moral concern to local gods. The model predicts the following slopes across four models, with a 90% credibility interval in parentheses: Moralistic Deity, M1: -.01 (-.03, .01); Moralistic Deity, M3: -.01 (-.03, .01); Local Deity, M1: -.05 (-.06, -.03); Local Deity, M3: -.03 (-.05, -.02)
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predictive model | Partially Supported | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Level of education | Independent | Education |
| Moral concern of local deity | Dependent | Ethics, Religious Beliefs |
| Moral concern of moralizing deity | Dependent | Ethics, Religious Beliefs |