Broad supernatural punishment but not moralizing high gods precede the evolution of political complexity in Austronesia
Proceedings of the Royal Society B • Vol/Iss. 282 • Published In • Pages: ??•
By Watts, Joseph, Greenhill, Simon J. , Atkinson, Quentin D., Currie, Thomas E., Bulbulia, Joseph, Gray, Russell D.
Hypothesis
High political complexity has coevolved with moralizing high gods (2, 5)
Note
The analysis compared an independent model (traits evolved separately) and dependent model (traits coevolved) for the evolution of the political complexity and moralizing high gods. The results supported a dependent relationship, even though the traits are not strictly coupled in the raw data. (Out of six cultures with moralizing high gods, three were politically complex.)
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis | Supported | Not Applicable | Bayes factor = 3.60 | UNKNOWN |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| High Political Complexity (two Or More Levels Of Jurisdictional Hierarchy Beyond Local Community) | Association | Territorial Hierarchy |
| Presence/absence Of Moralizing High Gods | Association | Spirits And Gods |