Hypotheses
- The presence of monotheistic high gods will be more likely in societies with three or more types of sovereign groups ranked in hierarchical order (89).Peregrine, Peter N. - The birth of the gods revisited: a partial replication of guy swanson's (196..., 1996 - 2 Variables
This article retests several hypotheses from Swanson’s (1960) study on the origins of religious belief. The author finds support for an association between high gods and large communities, multiple levels of political hierarchy, and social differentiation. No support is found for Swanson’s other hypotheses concerning polytheism, ancestral spirits, reincarnation, the soul, witchcraft, and morality and their relations to social, political, and economic variables.
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - Societies with more corporate political strategies are more resilient to catastrophic climate-related disastersPeregrine, Peter N. - Social resilience to climate-related disasters in ancient societies: a test ..., 2017 - 8 Variables
In the present study, Peregrine tests two perspectives regarding social resilience to climate-related disasters: 1) that societies with more inclusive and participatory political structures (corporate political strategies) are more resilient to climate-related disasters, and 2) that societies with tighter adherence to social norms are more resilient to climate-related disasters. Results support the notion that societies with greater political participation are more socially resilient to catastrophic climate-related disasters. Because these results are justifiably generalizable across multiple historical and cultural contexts, Peregrine's findings are a useful contribution to aid in disaster response policy decision making.
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - "There is a positive and significant relationship between the presence in a society of sovereign kinship groups other than the nuclear family and a belief that ancestral spirits are active in human affairs" (108)Swanson, Guy E. - The birth of the gods; the origin of primitive beliefs, 1960 - 2 Variables
This book investigates the origins of supernatural and religious beliefs. The author tests associations between various types of beliefs (e.g. witchcraft, monotheism) and various societal characteristics (e.g. mobility, class stratification). Many hypotheses are supported. Theoretical discussion is included, and the author posits that “the belief in a particular kind of spirit springs from experiences with a type of persisting sovereign group whose area of jurisdiction corresponds to that attributed to the spirit” (175).
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - Number of sovereign groups will be positively associated with monotheism (867-8).Swanson, Guy E. - Monotheism, materialism, and collective purpose: an analysis of underhill's ..., 1975 - 2 Variables
This article contests Underhill’s (1975) claim that monotheism is associated more strongly with subsistence than political organization in preindustrial societies. The author asserts that when political organization is held constant, there is no relationship between subsistence strategy and monotheism. Number of sovereign groups is found to be a good predictor of monotheism.
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - "Cumulative scores which combine the number of sovereign groups in a society with the presence of unlegitimezed contacts, the size of the units of settlement, and the presence of sovereign kinship groups are related . . . to indicators of a belief in the immanence of the soul" (135-136)Swanson, Guy E. - The birth of the gods; the origin of primitive beliefs, 1960 - 5 Variables
This book investigates the origins of supernatural and religious beliefs. The author tests associations between various types of beliefs (e.g. witchcraft, monotheism) and various societal characteristics (e.g. mobility, class stratification). Many hypotheses are supported. Theoretical discussion is included, and the author posits that “the belief in a particular kind of spirit springs from experiences with a type of persisting sovereign group whose area of jurisdiction corresponds to that attributed to the spirit” (175).
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - ". . . the greater the number of sovereign groups in excess of two, the more likely the high god will be active and even concerned with human morality" (78)Swanson, Guy E. - The birth of the gods; the origin of primitive beliefs, 1960 - 2 Variables
This book investigates the origins of supernatural and religious beliefs. The author tests associations between various types of beliefs (e.g. witchcraft, monotheism) and various societal characteristics (e.g. mobility, class stratification). Many hypotheses are supported. Theoretical discussion is included, and the author posits that “the belief in a particular kind of spirit springs from experiences with a type of persisting sovereign group whose area of jurisdiction corresponds to that attributed to the spirit” (175).
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - "Monotheism is positively related to the presence of a hierarchy of three or more sovereign groups in a society" (81)Swanson, Guy E. - The birth of the gods; the origin of primitive beliefs, 1960 - 2 Variables
This book investigates the origins of supernatural and religious beliefs. The author tests associations between various types of beliefs (e.g. witchcraft, monotheism) and various societal characteristics (e.g. mobility, class stratification). Many hypotheses are supported. Theoretical discussion is included, and the author posits that “the belief in a particular kind of spirit springs from experiences with a type of persisting sovereign group whose area of jurisdiction corresponds to that attributed to the spirit” (175).
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - 8) Reincarnation beliefs are positively associated with guardian spirits beliefsMatlock, James Graham - A cross-cultural study of reincarnation ideologies and their social correlates, 1993 - 2 Variables
This dissertation discusses the divided theoretical approach to how reincarnation, animism, spirits, and general religious beliefs occur within societies cross-culturally. Matlock offers evidence to support Tyler, contradicting the generally accepted Durkheimian approach, arguing that the belief about souls and spirits may originate in dreams and other empirical experiences, in turn informing and shaping social organization. Durkheim argued the opposite, claiming that religious beliefs reflect social organization such as the clan and kinship. The author states 33 quantitative hypotheses to be tested using 30 of the first 60 sample societies available in the HRAF Probability Sample.
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - Games of strategy will be more common in societies where political power is based on a "network strategy" (386).Peregrine, Peter N. - Political strategy and cross-cultural variation in games, 2008 - 4 Variables
This study tests the hypotheses that games of strategy will be more prevalent in societies where political power is based on a "network strategy" and that network societies place more value on the enculturation of obedience in children. Both hypotheses are supported.
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author - Inertness of subsistence raw materials and number of sovereign groups will be associated with the presence of high gods (302).Simpson, John H. - Sovereign groups, subsistence activities, and the presence of a high god in ..., 1979 - 3 Variables
This article investigates material and social predictors of belief in a high god. The author introduces a new variable, the inertness of subsistence raw materials, to be compared with Swanson’s (1960) variable representing the number of sovereign groups. Both variables were significant predictors of belief in high gods. Relevant theory is discussed.
Related Hypotheses Cite More By Author