“ Gossip is a policeman and a teacher. Without it, there would be chaos and ignorance. ”
The rider evolved to serve to the elephant.
~ Jonathan Haidt
The president is the high priest of what sociologist Robert Bellah calls the 'American civil religion.' The president must invoke the name of God (though not Jesus), glorify America's heroes and history,quote its sacred texts (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution), and perform the transubstantiation of pluribus unum.
Religiosity developed because successful religions made groups more efficient at turning resources into offspring. (including art, cathedrals, cities, earthworks, etc?)
The most powerful force ever known on this planet is human cooperation — a force for construction and destruction.
