Broad supernatural punishment but not moralizing high gods precede the evolution of political complexity in Austronesia

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Vol/Iss. 282 Published In Pages: ??
By Watts, Joseph, Greenhill, Simon J. , Atkinson, Quentin D., Currie, Thomas E., Bulbulia, Joseph, Gray, Russell D.

Abstract

The authors investigate whether moralizing high gods and, more generally, supernatural punishment precede, sustain, or follow political complexity. The cultural traits at hand are mapped onto phylogenetic trees representing the descent and relatedness of 96 Austronesian cultures.

Note

Gray et al.'s 2009 phylogenetic sample of 400 Austronesian cultures was pruned to 96 cultures with the "richest ethnographic records."

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
OtherResearchers Own

Documents and Hypotheses Filed By:Tahlisa Brougham