Explaining the rise of moralizing religions: a test of competing hypotheses using the Seshat Databank
Religion, Brain & Behavior • Vol/Iss. 13(2) • Taylor & Francis Group • • Published In • Pages: 167-194 •
By Turchin, Peter, Whitehouse, Harvey, Larson, Jennifer, Cioni, Enrico, Reddish, Jenny, Hoyer, Daniel, Savage, Patrick E., Covey, Alan, Baines, John, Altaweel, Mark, Anderson, Eugene, Bol, Peter, Brandl, Eva, Carballo, David M., Feinman, Gary M., Korotayev, Andrey V., Kradin, Nikolay, Levine, Jill D., Nugent, Selin E., Squitieri, Andrea, Wallace, Vesna, François, Pieter
Hypothesis
The rise of moralizing religions will be related to military competition between societies.
Note
The results show that warfare (cavalry and high technology) is a predictor of moralizing religions. There are two relevant variables within military competition: the development of military technologies and the spread of cavalry. The first t value is for the first variable, and the second t value is for the second variable.
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic regression analyses | Supported | p < .001 (cavalry) / p < .05 (military technology) | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Moralizing religions | Dependent | Spirits And Gods |
| Development of military technologies | Independent | Warfare |
| Spread of cavalry | Independent | Warfare |