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Description
The proposed project concerns the use of computer modelling methodologies to simulate aspects of secularising societies. The methodology used is to model the system dynamics of individuals and to then use these in agent-based models of whole societies. This allows the researchers to examine how individual level and society level phenomena are connected. The project will draw upon a range of results from the cognitive and social sciences - including research on existential security, fuzzy fidelity, the prosocial role of religion, the cognitive basis of supernatural beliefs, error management theory, credibility enhancing displays, Big God religions, and epistemic vigilance.