Using open data and code of the recent article published by Whitehouse et al. (2019) in Nature, Beheim et al. argue that the detection of beliefs in moralizing gods is crucially dependent on the presence of writing in past societies.
However, assuming the absence of such beliefs pre-writing is at odds with the ethnographic record that documents such beliefs in non-literate societies. Therefore, the sole reliance on writing may bias our conclusions about such beliefs in past societies as well as the related inference on the causal role of these beliefs in increasing societal complexity.
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In a new study published in Human Nature, LEVYNA was part of a team lead by A.K. Willard, studying how witchcraft beliefs affect social norms and behaviors. Specifically, researchers investigated whether witchcraft is regarded to be motivated by envy and how this notion influences community interactions. The findings show that, while witchcraft accusations were common, they were mostly directed at persons suspected of acting out of envy.
In an ethnographic survey-based study published in the journal Religions, D. Xygalatas and P. Maňo looked at variation in motivations for ritual practice and how it relates to the socioeconomic status of respondents. The findings indicate that whereas people of lower socioeconomic standing address more immediate concerns related to material security and safety in their ritual practices, people at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum tend to focus on the fulfillment of spiritual, social, or cultural needs.
