ABSTRACT
The cognitivist agenda rests on three related theories, which come together to help explain religion: an extended theory of mind, attribution of agency, and the "tweaking" or extension of "normal" ontology. Theory of mind is a necessary part of human sociality. In the context of religion, this theory becomes extended in two related ways. First, by linking events and thoughts, positing the former as action brought about by the agency inherent in the latter—a function of the human "action representation system". Second, by attributing agency, and by extension, mind, to non-human entities, T. Tremlin highlights the evolutionary importance of our being able to distinguish objects in the environment from agents, which may pose a threat. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
