{"id":53504,"date":"2021-11-06T13:42:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T17:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=53504"},"modified":"2021-11-20T14:20:34","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T18:20:34","slug":"purpose-of-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/purpose-of-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Purpose of Religion Is to Mitigate Our Selfishness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the purpose of religion<\/a>? How does religion differ from secular belief? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Nassim Taleb<\/a>, the author of Skin in the Game<\/em>, the ultimate purpose of religion is to offset the risks of societal ruin caused by humans\u2019 self-serving instincts. When conceptualized in this way, religion is not too different from secular beliefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we’ll explore Taleb’s argument that the purpose of religion is to mitigate human selfishness<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Religion<\/strong> Is Society’s Expression of Loss Aversion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Religion is society\u2019s expression of loss aversion. Just as each of us plays it safe in all the little areas of our lives to avoid cumulative ruin, religion ensures that as many people as possible live in ways that avoid contributing to the risk of destroying the human race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why religions impose commandments on their adherents\u2014these rules are a way for entire civilizations to hedge their bets against moral deviance. These rules are typically simple, without gray areas, and err on the side of restriction and safety. This makes them easy to teach, difficult to misunderstand, and more likely to avoid the risks of moral ambiguity. Consider the 10 Commandments. If a society is deeply, spiritually<\/em> compelled to obey commandments like \u201cYou shall not steal,\u201d \u201cYou shall not murder,\u201d or \u201cYou shall not commit adultery,\u201d it\u2019s going to be a more stable, productive society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A single small theft of one of your neighbor\u2019s sheep isn\u2019t going to have much of a harmful effect on society. But if everyone is constantly stealing every little thing they can get away with, society will suffer. A widespread, oversensitive aversion to these sins mitigates the cumulative damage to the collective.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, religion provides a visible sense of group identity that encourages collaboration and self-sacrifice. Taleb supposes that other benefits of religion<\/a> that aren\u2019t immediately apparent exist, too\u2014most importantly, the fact that the vast majority of surviving human civilizations have formed lasting organized religions speaks to the efficacy of religious belief<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Practice, Religious and Secular Beliefs Are Very Similar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When conceptualized in this way, Taleb argues, the purpose of religion is not too different from that of secular beliefs. To explain, Taleb distinguishes between two types of beliefs, which we\u2019ll call Metaphysical Beliefs and Actionable Beliefs. Metaphysical Beliefs are those that explain how the world works and why, while Actionable Beliefs are those that dictate how people should act. For example, the idea that God created the world is a Metaphysical Belief, while the idea that you shouldn\u2019t steal is an Actionable Belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taleb asserts that religions are often judged based on their Metaphysical Beliefs, when they should be judged based on their Actionable Beliefs. <\/strong>The philosophical underpinnings of any worldview don\u2019t matter\u2014only the actions of its adherents have the power to help or harm. Additionally, the link between Metaphysical and resulting Actionable Beliefs isn\u2019t as predictable as most would think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophies and religions that seem like complete opposites when considering their Metaphysical Beliefs often end up looking quite similar when you examine their Actionable Beliefs. For example, most modern Christians behave identically to atheists in important matters\u2014they go to the hospital when they\u2019re sick or injured and obey the laws of secular governments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, atheists often do things that appear religious<\/strong>, revealing further overlap in Actionable Beliefs<\/strong>. Meditation<\/a> and yoga are both popular among atheists, and nearly all atheists partake in rituals of some kind\u2014weddings and funerals, for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Taleb sees no difference between the Metaphysical Beliefs held by religious people and the Metaphysical Beliefs held by atheists, in the sense that they both require faith in something you can\u2019t see. For example, atheists often have faith in the efficacy of a complex government or the invisible hand of the free market\u2014powers that you trust are working, even if you can\u2019t see or fully understand them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarize, Taleb asserts that everyone is similarly \u201creligious\u201d to some degree, so it would be hypocritical to immediately dismiss organized religion as irrational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religion is rational because it emotionally compels people to live with skin in the game, and as we\u2019ve established, this is the foundation of an honorable, fulfilling life<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the purpose of religion? How does religion differ from secular belief? According to Nassim Taleb, the author of Skin in the Game, the ultimate purpose of religion is to offset the risks of societal ruin caused by humans\u2019 self-serving instincts. When conceptualized in this way, religion is not too different from secular beliefs. In this article, we’ll explore Taleb’s argument that the purpose of religion is to mitigate human selfishness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[529],"class_list":["post-53504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","category-society","category-spiritual","tag-skin-in-the-game","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Purpose of Religion Is to Mitigate Our Selfishness - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to Nassim Taleb, the ultimate purpose of religion is to offset the risks of societal ruin caused by human selfishness. 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