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Full Idea
Since the first recorded religion (in Iraq 60,000 years ago) it is estimated that mankind has produced in the order of one hundred thousand religions.
Gist of Idea
It is estimated that mankind has produced 100,000 religions
Source
Edmund O. Wilson (On Human Nature [1978], Ch.8)
Book Ref
Wilson,Edward O.: 'On Human Nature' [Penguin 1995], p.169
A Reaction
If asked to guess the number, I would probably have said '200'! This staggering figure seems to argue both ways - it suggest a certain arbitrariness in the details of religions, but an extremely intense drive to have some sort of religious belief.
5311 | If observation goes up a level, we expect the laws of the lower level to remain in force [Wilson,EO] |
5309 | Beliefs are really enabling mechanisms for survival [Wilson,EO] |
5310 | Philosophers study the consequences of ethics instead of its origins [Wilson,EO] |
5308 | The only human purpose is that created by our genetic history [Wilson,EO] |
5313 | The rules of human decision-making converge and overlap in a 'human nature' [Wilson,EO] |
5312 | A child first sees objects as distinct, and later as members of groups [Wilson,EO] |
5314 | Cultural evolution is Lamarckian and fast, biological evolution is Darwinian and slow [Wilson,EO] |
5315 | Over 99 percent of human evolution has been in the hunter-gatherer phase [Wilson,EO] |
5318 | Pure hard-core altruism based on kin selection is the enemy of civilisation [Wilson,EO] |
5316 | We undermine altruism by rewarding it, but we reward it to encourage it [Wilson,EO] |
5317 | The actor is most convincing who believes that his performance is real [Wilson,EO] |
5320 | It is estimated that mankind has produced 100,000 religions [Wilson,EO] |