Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • How Religion Evolved

  • And Why It Endures
  • By: Robin Dunbar
  • Narrated by: John Sackville
  • Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (71 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
How Religion Evolved cover art

How Religion Evolved

By: Robin Dunbar
Narrated by: John Sackville
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Evolution cover art
The Dawn of Language cover art
Evolutionary Psychology: Bolinda Beginner Guides cover art
A Political History of the World cover art
Friends cover art
The Social Brain cover art
Big Gods cover art
Why God? cover art
Does Altruism Exist? cover art
Anthropology for Dummies, 2nd Edition cover art
Unseen Beings cover art
Thriving with Stone-Age Minds cover art
God 4.0 cover art
Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You cover art
The Believing Brain cover art
Shinto: The Way Home cover art

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin. 

Religion is both unique—as far as we can judge—and universal to humans. Our species diverged from the great apes about six to eight million years ago, and since then, along with language, our propensity towards spiritual thinking and ritual emerged. How, when and why did this occur, and how did the earliest informal shamanic practices evolve into the world religions familiar to us today? What is the evolutionary purpose of religion, and are some individuals more inclined than others to be religious?

Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford, explores these and other key questions, mining the distinctions between religions of experience—as practised by hunter-gatherer societies since the earliest human history—and doctrinal religions, from Judaism, Christianity and Islam to Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism and their many derivatives. Examining religion's origins, social function, the effects of religious practice or feeling on the brain and body, and its place in the modern era, How Religion Evolved offers a fascinating and far-reaching analysis of this quintessentially human impulse—to believe.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Robin Dunbar (P)2022 Penguin Audio

More from the same

What listeners say about How Religion Evolved

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    44
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    36
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    40
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good stuff

fascinated about the religious mind enjoyed very much. Well researched could have gone a little more in depth...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

See accompanying PDF

Various tables aren't explained, but assumed to be in the accompanying pdf (not provided)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great text marred by ropey audio

I found this frustrating to listen to as the narrator sounded constantly out of breath. Not sure if this was a stylistic thing - unnecessary as the writing is fascinating enough to not need any additional drama in the reading - or just an issue with the edit or recording but those deep intakes of breath at the end of every sentence were really distracting and I couldn't finish it. Disappointing as the content was great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!