Science & Cocktails: Robin Dunbar
How religion evolved and why it endures
Koncertsalen
19. marts 2024 KL. 20.00
Kom med til Science & Cocktails, når DR Koncerthuset får besøg af den verdenskendte evolutionære psykolog, Robin Dunbar. I en fusionerende kombination af banebrydende videnskab og stemningsfuld countrymusik leveret af Rhinestone Valley, bliver dette et dybsindigt arrangement, hvor Robin Dunbar vil rejse spørgsmålet om, hvilken rolle religion har spillet i menneskets evolutionære udvikling. Arrangementet mixer en videnskabelig ’Talk’ med en livekoncert og eksperimenterende cocktails, som du kan tilkøbe i baren.
Science & Cocktails is proud to present an episode featuring the world-renowned evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, who works in the social and evolutionary neuroscience group at the University of Oxford.
He has made foundational contributions to the understanding of bonding in primates and humans, leading to the notion of a “social brain” and “social neuroscience”. He has written books on the evolution of human beings, the evolution of language, and the evolution of religion. All this happens after Rhinestone Valley fills up the room with country and western music.
Why are humans the only species to have religions? Does religion provide genuine evolutionary benefits? Why are humans uniquely susceptible to the “mystical stance”? When did religion first evolve? Why do religions keep reinventing themselves?
Religion is the one thing that clearly differentiates humans from all other animals, raising a series of questions: Why did religion evolve? When did the capacity for religion first evolve? What cognitive abilities allow humans to be religious but apes not? Is religion at all beneficial?
In this episode, Robin Dunbar will argue that religion evolved to help bond our unusually large social groups and became especially important after we started living in increasingly large villages and towns around 8000 years ago.
He will suggest that religion built on very ancient psychological traits that, while playing a crucial role in creating both friendships and bonded communities, can, under certain circumstances, give rise to what he calls “the mystical stance” – a capacity that, through trance states, allows us to feel that we engage directly with mysterious forces that control the universe. Leaving us with one tantalizing question: Did the Neanderthals die out because they weren’t religious?
Event held in English.
Robin Dunbar (Bio)
Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford, a Fellow of Magdalen College, and an elected Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Finnish Academy of Science & Letters, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
His principal research interests focus on the evolution of sociality (with particular reference to primates and humans). He is best known for the social brain hypothesis, the gossip theory of language evolution, and Dunbar’s Number (the limit on the number of manageable relationships we can have).
His publications include 34 authored and edited books and more than 500 journal articles and book chapters. His popular science books include "The Trouble with Science," "Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language," "The Science of Love and Betrayal," "Human Evolution," "Evolution: What Everyone Needs To Know," "Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships," "How Religion Evolved," and "The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups."
Rhinestone Valley (Bio)
The Copenhagen-based Country & Western/Americana duo Rhinestone Valley tells vivid stories set to swaying rhythms, mixing swampy vibes with a touch of twang. Their music captures the essence of the anti-hero’s everyday struggles in a world that's both simple and complex. No subject is too trivial, nor too grand - as reflected in a sonic landscape ranging from gentle acoustic tunes to cinematic guitar sounds backed by a band that just won’t quit.
Ms. Jekel (Bio)
An avid collector of French retro music on vinyl for the past 20 years, she has made her mark as a regular DJ in the Copenhagen scene, playing her vast and eclectic record collection! At Science and Cocktails, she will tour de France with a variety of genres from old school chanson, mod-jazz, and rare 60's yé-yé pop. She'll mix it up with some lounge music and a bit of groovy soul that goes hand in hand with a good glass of wine.
Program
Program
19:00
Doors open
20:00 - 20:45
Rhinestone Valley | auditorium
21:15 - 22:15
Robin Dunbar + Q&A | auditorium
22:15 - 23:00
Ms. Jekel | foyer
Kunstnere
Ms. Jekel
Ms. Jekel
An avid collector of French retro music on vinyl for the past 20 years, she has made her mark as a regular DJ in the Copenhagen scene, playing her vast and eclectic record collection.
Robin Dunbar
Robin Dunbar
Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford, a Fellow of Magdalen College, and an elected Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Finnish Academy of Science & Letters, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Rhinestone Valley
Rhinestone Valley
The Copenhagen-based Country & Western/Americana duo Rhinestone Valley tells vivid stories set to swaying rhythms, mixing swampy vibes with a touch of twang.
