Is believing in a God a natural part of human evolution? Does having spiritual beliefs an evolutionary advantage?
Research suggests it might: that subscribing to a moral code helped early humans work together to create society.
Meanwhile, New Zealand is part of a global trend toward self-described atheism: look no further than our 2023 census, with those who stated 'no religion' making up over 51 percent of the population for the first time in this country's history.
So if we are hard-wired to believe, what does it mean when we stop believing?
Dr Will Gervais, a cultural evolutionary psychologist based at Brunel University of London, is the author of a new book: Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species.
He joins Emile Donovan.
Photo: Supplied
