The Evolution of Religion: A Sociological Outline

How can the emergence of religion be understood consistently as a genuinely social process without resorting to phenomenological, intellectual-historical, biological, or cognitive-scientific approaches?

To answer this question, the book refers to three theories: theory of evolution, systems theory, and semiotics. Against this background, it traces the emergence of religion from general societal processes and the differentiation from its environment (other societal subsystems, mental systems...