Gods were developed to provide the carrot and the stick needed to induce individuals to place the moral code - the interests of the pack - above their own individual interests.
I think you under-rate curiosity and the human need to perceive patterns.
Our brains are evolved to inquire and experiment - as a species, this worked well in finding new foods and defences in the rapidly-changing world of grasslands and ice ages. Once the capability for abstraction was reached (probably as a result of language, allowing the depiction of threats and possibilities) then I think it was inevitable that people would try and explain everything, as best they could.
Meanwhile, pattern recognition is another key abstract ability - developed from a primarily visual sense (to spot threats, escape/attack routes and food) with the abstractive power of the mind. Hence we classify, order and collate, from a minimal age (watch a small child enjoying sorting toys, by colour, size or other differentiation clear to them) - some extremes of this become Asperger's, or autism, but more functional extremes may be classed as genius.
And because we seek patterns in all areas, we find them - coincidence becomes significant, luck starts following a trend, and events must be patterned by design...
and that's JMHO. But it's late even for me so I'll return anon. |
