Neanderthals and Spirituality

While reading "The Singing Neanderthals", I started to notice inherent similarities between aspects of that article and the New York Times article "Why Do We Believe?".

The Neanderthals were presented as a very spiritual people who communicated through singing, body-language and vocalizations rather than a set language. Though this prevented them from any cultural evolution, they survived for about 300,000 years before dying out, thanks in large part to their incredible cultural stability. Since they lived in small social groups, "Neanderthals had detailed knowledge about the life histories, social relationships and day-to-day activities of all the other members of their group, and rarely came into contact with 'strangers'"(Mithen 225). This intimate knowledge of one another enabled them to communicate successfully, and even to pass down knowledge of complicated weapon-building without language.

This inherent cultural spirituality affected the actions of individuals within a social group significantly. Instead of abandoning an injured comrade, as would seem the "best" option in terms of evolution and survival of the fittest, fellow social group members would nurse the injured one back to health. This reflects a group altruism that seems to connect closely with the "Why Do We Believe?" article's possible explanation for the evolution of religious belief. Instead of individuals acting only with their own interests at heart, group altruism enabled an entire Neanderthal social group as a whole to benefit. Though religion itself was not mentioned in either Neanderthal article, there is evidence of it in their way of life. (I'm taking religion to be defined as any set of beliefs one lives by, either formal or informal.)

Besides taking care of injured friends, Mithen hypothesized that Neanderthals would also use 'music therapy' as a way to reduce stress of those in pain and also ceremoniously buried their dead. These are a few more examples of non-individual centric actions, but instead brought the group closer together and enabled them as a whole to survive longer. These altruistic actions stemmed from a religion of sorts, albeit undefined, that permeated a social group. From this religion of sorts, Neanderthals lead longer, happier, more stable lives than they could have without it (and with their lack of fluid thought).

Ultimately, the Neanderthals are an interesting example of an early belief system and how it was evolutionarily favorable to possess those beliefs.