„Timor mortis” a religia : o zwierzęciu ludzkim w perspektywie ewolucjonistycznej

Abstract

Fear of death and its associated rituals and mourning are — besides language, art and religion — the most important human universals. Researching them by means of scientific tools gives rise to numerous controversies due to the fact that the human being becomes a subject of observation by methods developed by ethology; moreover, the human being is one among many elements of the world in which we live. The author discusses the following topics: a reflection on the human death as a raison d’être of religion in general; mythogenic and consoling nature of the rituals surrounding death, meaning selected in evolution scenarios for dealing with corpses; experience an NDE (Near Death Experience). Many researchers have attributed the fundamental religious experience (including those associated with the death of members of the flock) to the primate community. The reference to the biological sciences also allows for the focus on symbols and metaphors associated with death, thus referring to the experience shared by all the living (e.g. images of devouring, fetters, struggle, trauma, blood, breath), which religious language is saturated with.