sciencetech-blog

comments

Between 800 and 200BC, a new type of revolutionary thinking appeared in Persia, India, China and the Occident.

In what is described as the 'Axial Age', civilisation started to become more spiritual, creating what some historians believe are the roots of today's major religions.

But instead of misfortune or poverty, researchers in Paris claim to have evidence to link the emergence of world religions with rising standards of living.

Instead of misfortune or poverty, researchers claim to have evidence that links the emergence of world religions with rising living standards. They found that affluence caused a sharp transition toward moralising religions when individuals were provided with more food. Pictured is a stained glass window in Prague

Nicolas Baumard, of the Ecole Normale Superieure said: 'One implication is that world religions and secular spiritualities probably share more than we think.

'Beyond very different doctrines, they probably all tap into the same reward systems in the human brain.'

The finding goes against recent reports in the Gallup World Poll that aimed to find out where people find meaning, and how they found it.

It discovered that some of the world's poorest countries, such as Sierra Leone, Togo, Laos, and Senegal, ranked highest for meaning.

In the new study, published in the journal Current Biology, the researchers tested various theories to explain the history in a different way, by combining statistical modelling with psychological theories.

Between 800 and 200 BC, a new type of revolutionary thinking appeared in Persia, India, China and the Occident. In what is described as the 'Axial Age', civilisation started to become more spiritual. Study shows that as people felt more secure, they became more religious. Pictured is a relief at the ruins of Persepolis, Iran

They found that affluence - which they refer to as 'energy capture' - best explains what is known of the religious history, rather than political complexity, or population size.

Their energy capture model shows a sharp transition toward moralising religions when individuals were provided with significantly more food.

'Humans living in tribal societies or even archaic empires often experience famine and diseases, a nd they live in very rudimentary houses.

'By contrast, the high increase in population and urbanisation rate in the Axial Age suggests that, for certain people, things started to get much better.'

The researchers said that this transition is consistent with a shift from 'fast' life strategies - focused on the immediate problems of the day - to those focused on long-term investments.

They added that it will now be interesting to test whether other familiar characteristics of modern human society - such as high parental investment and long-term monogamy - might stem from the same historical change.