Daniel Dennett: Breaking the Spell
A Review of Dennett's Book on the Evolutionary Roots of Religion
Daniel C. Dennett is a leading philosophical authority widely known for his atheism. Unlike most outspoken atheists, Dennett does not jump to conclusions about the value of religion. Instead, he tries to “break the spell” of religion by looking at it scientifically, as a natural phenomenon.
In his highly successful Consciousness Explained (1991) and Darwin’s Dangerous Idea (1995), Dennett presented arguments for a materialistic view of humanity. Now, with Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (Penguin paperback, 2007), Dennett has applied his earlier work on consciousness and evolutionary theory to the subject of religious belief.
An Evolutionary View of Religion
Life can be very expensive, even for an amoeba. Everything that happens in nature costs energy. Biological traits—the ability to talk, fly, digest food, and so on—only survive through the generations if they are worth the expense. Evolutionary biologists study how these traits are paid for.
Following this line of Darwinian thinking, Dennett argues that all human traits—including religious beliefs—must have evolutionary rationales. Without beneficiaries, religions wouldn’t have survived and evolved through the centuries.
Thus, after making his case for “opening Pandora’s Box” and regarding religion as a natural phenomenon, Dennett asks his overarching question: “What pays for religion?”
For Dennett, the idea of God is a meme, a pattern of information (like a gene) which has been particularly good at replicating itself throughout civilization—and not necessarily because it is good for humanity or because it is true.
The idea of memes comes from Dennett’s friend and fellow atheist, Richard Dawkins, who first put forward the notion in his classic book on evolution, The Selfish Gene (1976).
Genes survive through the ages, not because they confer advantages to organisms, but because they selfishly create organisms which help them replicate. Furthermore, viruses (among other things) can co-opt organisms for their own purposes.
According to Dennett and Dawkins, religious beliefs may be like genes and viruses, existing for their own selfish reasons. In other words, religious ideas may be the only entities that benefit from religion.
The Big Picture
Breaking the Spell offers a broad approach to the study of religious belief, covering a variety of historical, psychological, and political issues. Fleshing out the meme theory outlined above, Dennett’s middle chapters describe how early “folk religions” evolved to become today’s highly organized institutions.
The final chapters explore moral and political questions about the role of religion in the world today. To Dennett’s credit, he distinguishes himself from other atheists (including Dawkins) by trying to keep friendly terms with religious believers and by refusing to jump to conclusions about the value of religious belief.
Dennett’s goal is not to provide definitive answers, but to guide people towards better questions. Of course, he maintains a strong skepticism towards religion, and is not willing to give religious beliefs or traditions the benefit of the doubt.
While it may not convert anyone to atheism, Breaking the Spell explores various subtle and often unconventional ways of approaching religious belief. It is a stimulating and thoughtful entry in the ongoing debate over science and religion.
References
Dennett, Daniel C., Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (Penguin Group, 2006).
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