Gods functioned as witnesses enforcing commercial oaths in ancient markets

Evidence

We know that supernatural monitoring is far from the only source of prosociality in the world. Secular authorities have joined (and perhaps supplanted) watchful gods as guarantors of cooperation in some places, with interesting psychological consequences that I discuss in more detail in chapter 10. There is extensive evidence for this claim from the field, and preliminary evidence from the lab. In the field, economists and sociologists consistently find that people living in societies with strong secular institutions, compared to those living in societies with weak institutions, are far more trusting of other citizens, more prosocial, and more likely to punish freeriders. In the laboratory, we have seen in chapter 3 that reminders of secular concepts (for example, civic, jury, police) are as effective as reminders of a watchful God in promoting generous behavior among Canadians. This suggests an intriguing dynamic, that when it comes to enforcing cooperation and trust, gods and governments may be interchangeable. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 302 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Big Gods historically bound anonymous strangers together where courts and police were absent; Gods and governments may be interchangeable enforcers of cooperation — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 302; Mind-reading capacities are prerequisites for believers to interact with and be policed by gods (+2 more)

Related

• Big Gods historically bound anonymous strangers together where courts and police were absent (similarity 0.90)
• Gods and governments serve interchangeable functions of surveillance, comfort, and control (similarity 0.87)
• Secular institutions and watchful gods are interchangeable in enforcing cooperation and trust (similarity 0.86)
• Gods and governments may be interchangeable enforcers of cooperation (similarity 0.86)
• Divine and secular authority are inseparable in explaining belief (similarity 0.85)
• Religious belief withers when governments provide the cooperation religion once supplied. (similarity 0.84)
• Gods and governments occupy the same functional niche in human psychology (similarity 0.80)
• Divine witnesses to oaths were the core of Greco-Roman marketplace commerce (similarity 0.79)
• Big Gods substituted for courts and police in binding strangers into cooperation (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Gods and governments serve interchangeable functions of surveillance, comfort, and control #corroborates (0.90)
• Gods and governments may be interchangeable enforcers of cooperation #corroborates (0.88) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 302
• Mind-reading capacities are prerequisites for believers to interact with and be policed by gods #expands (0.78)
• Ritual serves as evidence-free commitment for contracts illegality prevents ratifying #expands (0.72)