Ara Norenzayan’s book Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict is a fascinating work that explores the transformative effects that occurred when certain societies started worshipping “big gods” – meaning all-powerful, all-knowing gods that could always monitor you and hold you accountable for moral transgressions. Norenzayan argues these supernatural monitors created better, more pro-social behaviours that made these societies more likely to prosper and enabled them to outcompete rival societies. This relationship was mutually beneficial so that just as this religious outlook helped the society to succeed, that society’s [...]