Throughout history religion has been the primary tool used by human societiesto understand the inexplicable and the powerful. Religion and Adaptationexamines ho... » 

Throughout history religion has been the primary tool used by human societiesto understand the inexplicable and the powerful. Religion and Adaptationexamines how this role of religion affects the development of human society andindividual identity.The volume uses a wide variety of ethnographic and historical sources tosupport its analysis beginning with two detailed case studies of the religionspracticed by Navajo Indians and Arab villagers. An intriguing comparison ofthese two systems of faith reveals the difficulty of finding one definition ofreligion. William Adams explores this problem of definition suggesting thatreligion and science actually share the role of providing logical explanationsin human society. In subsequent chapters he considers the development ofreligious systems the growth of religious consciousness in the individual andthe dynamics of religious change. The book ultimately aims to be a purelyempirical study that probes the reasons for the existence of religion and itsrole as a moral and stabilizing force in human societies. «