Shamanism and Cognitive Evolution (with comments)

@article{Winkelman2002ShamanismAC,
  title={Shamanism and Cognitive Evolution (with comments)},
  author={Michael A. Winkelman},
  journal={Cambridge Archaeological Journal},
  year={2002},
  volume={12},
  pages={71 - 101}
}
Shamanic referents in Upper Palaeolithic cave art indicate its pivotal role in the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition. Etic models of shamanism derived from cross-cultural research help articulate the shamanic paradigm in cave art and explicate the role of shamanism in this transition. Shamanism is found cross-culturally in hunter-gatherer societies, constituting an ecological and psychosociobiological adaptation that reflects the ritual and cosmology of early modern humans. Shamanism played… 
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58 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
4
Background Citations
31
Results Citations
1

58 Citations

Shamanism as Neurotheology and Evolutionary Psychology
TLDR
The shamanic paradigm's psychobiological foundations explain the origins and cross-cultural distribution of shamanism, its modern manifestations, and the continued applicability of shamanic practices.
Shamanic Cosmology as an Evolutionary Neurocognitive Epistemology
The biological foundation for a shamanic epistemology is indicated by the cross-cultural distribution of a shamanic cosmology derived from knowledge obtained during altered consciousness. These…
Shamanism and psychedelics: A biogenetic structuralist paradigm of ecopsychology
Shamanism and psychedelics are central to understanding the evolutionary roots of ecopsychology and its basic principles. The ancient ritual roots of shamanism constituted the context within which…
The Shamanic Paradigm: Evidence from Ethnology, Neuropsychology and Ethology
TLDR
Cross-cultural findings establish the empirical evidence for a common form of worldwide hunter-gatherer shamanism, as well as differentiating these shamans from other types of shamanistic healers, through biogenetic approaches that identify the biological bases of shamanic universals and their deeper phylogenetic origins.
The Evolved Psychology of Psychedelic Set and Setting: Inferences Regarding the Roles of Shamanism and Entheogenic Ecopsychology
  • M. Winkelman
  • Psychology, Biology
    Frontiers in Pharmacology
  • 2021
TLDR
The relevance of shamanism and its evolution under effects of psilocybin as a framework for identifying evolved aspects of psychedelic set and setting is illustrated and bases for making inferences regarding foundations of the authors' evolved set, setting and psychology are provided.
The cultural evolution of shamanism
TLDR
A cultural evolutionary theory is proposed to explain why shamanism consistently develops and why shamanic traditions exhibit recurrent features around the world and how shifting social conditions affect the form or existence of shamanism.
Introduction: Evidence for entheogen use in prehistory and world religions
This introduction to the special issue reviews research that supports the hypothesis that psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, were central features in the development of religion. The greater…
Ritual Behaviour and the Origins of Modern Cognition
  • M. Rossano
  • Psychology
    Cambridge Archaeological Journal
  • 2009
This article argues that ritual behaviour was a critical selective force in the emergence of modern cognition. The argument is based on the following observations: (1) Upper Palaeolithic Cro-Magnons…
Shamanism and the Evolutionary Origins of Spirituality and Healing
Although the term “shamanic” is used to refer to a diverse range of phenomena, it nonetheless reflects something empirical. Cross-cultural research illustrates that the concept of the shaman…
Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology
Neurotheological approaches provide an important bridge between scientific and religious perspectives. These approaches have, however, generally neglected the implications of a primordial form of…
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