Marcia Pally: Just How Aggressive Are We? Biological Research for Theological Questions on the Nature of Humanity

This presentation looks at how the development of human cognition, as described by Michael Tomasello, contributed to the emergence of ritual and religion. Tomasello describes the steps from H. sapien playful exchange of gestures and facial expression to the development of complex, collaborative activities not only regarding present tasks but past events and imagined circumstances. This paper explores (i) how these collaborative capacities regarding shared, imagined worlds form the ground for H. sapien play, from sports to religious ritual, and (ii) the function that ritual has at it emerges from human cognitive-emotional development.