ABSTRACT

Stewart E. Guthrie’s theory of religion was rst set forth in an essay entitled ‘A cognitive theory of religion,’ published in 1980 in the journal Current Anthropology (21 [2]: 181-203). Guthrie later elaborated and rened his views in a number of publications, and he continues to do so. Thus far, his most extensive statement in one place is found in his book, Faces in the clouds: a new theory of religion. Published by Oxford University Press in a hardback edition in 1993, it was reissued by the same publisher in paperback in 1995. It expands and to some extent modies the theory set forth in the 1980 essay. That theory pivots on the claim that human beings universally tend to respond to environmental ambiguities by recourse to human-like and animal-like models. This chapter explores Guthrie’s theory as it developed in the 1980 essay and in the 1993 book.