God Is Watching You

How the Fear of God Makes Us Human

Dominic Johnson

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Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
15 January 2016

Religion & beliefs; Religion: general; Evolution; Human biology

For millennia human civilization has relied on such beliefs to create a moral order that threatens divine punishment on people who commit crimes or other bad deeds, while promising rewards - abstract or material - for those who do good.

Today, while secularism and unbelief are at an all-time high, this almost superstitious willingness to believe in karma persists. We find ourselves imagining what our parents, spouse, or boss would think of our thoughts and actions, even if they are miles away and will never find out. We often feel that we are being monitored. We talk of eyes burning into the backs of our heads, the walls listening, a sense that someone or something is out there, observing our every move, aware of our thoughts and intentions.

God Is Watching You is an exploration of this belief as it has developed over time and how it has shaped the course of human evolution. Dominic Johnson explores questions such as: How has a concern for supernatural consequences affected the way human society has changed, how we live today, and how we will live in the future? Does it expand or limit the potential for local, regional and global cooperation today? How will the current decline in religious belief (at least in many western countries) affect selfishness and society in the future? And what, if anything, is replacing our ancient concerns for supernatural punishment as the means to temper self-interest and promote cooperation? In short, do we still need God?

Drawing on new research from anthropology, evolutionary biology, experimental psychology, and neuroscience, Johnson presents a new theory of supernatural punishment that offers fresh insight on the origins and evolution of not only religion, but human cooperation and society.

He shows that belief in supernatural reward and punishment is no quirk of western or Christian culture, but a ubiquitous part of human nature that spans geographical regions, cultures, and human history.

By: Dominic Johnson
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 237mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 550g
ISBN: 9780199895632
ISBN 10: 0199895635
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 15 January 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chapter 1: Why Me? ; Chapter 2: Sticks and Stones ; Chapter 3: Hammer of God ; Chapter 4: God is Great ; Chapter 5: The Problem of Atheists ; Chapter 6: Guardian Angels ; Chapter 7: Nations Under God ; Chapter 8: A World Without God ; Chapter 9: God Knows ; Notes ; Index

Dominic Johnson received a D.Phil. from Oxford University in evolutionary biology, and a Ph.D. from Geneva University in political science. Drawing on both disciplines, he is interested in how new research on evolution, biology and human nature is challenging theories of international relations, conflict, and cooperation. He is the author of Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions (2004) and Failing to Win: Perceptions of Victory and Defeat in International Politics (2006), with Dominic Tierney.

Reviews for God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human

This is a thought-provoking read * The Catholic Herald * Important and impressive work ... compelling and fascinating detail * Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper * A genuinely insightful and provocative book * Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman * Wide-ranging and consistently interesting ... vividly written and packed with arresting examples * John Gray, New Statesman * Simultaneously entertaining, enlightening, and eclectically erudite, God is Watching You is a portal well worth entering, both for the dialogue it engenders and the intellectual journey it provides. * Candace S. Alcorta, Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture *