"The human mind evolved to believe in the gods. It did not evolve to believe in biology"

E. O. Wilson’s remark reveals a fundamental tension between humanity’s ancestral cognitive landscape and the empiricism of modern science. Over millennia, the human mind developed in response to the uncertainties and dangers of its environment. Seeking patterns, explanations, and agency behind the events of nature, our ancestors found reassurance and structure in spiritual narratives. Gods and supernatural beings offered accessible answers to otherwise inexplicable phenomena like storms, disease, or death, satisfying our innate quest for meaning and control.

Such religious or mythological beliefs are not arbitrary, they align with the evolutionary advantages of rapidly assigning cause and effect, even if the connection is imagined. Mistaking a rustle in the bushes for a predator rather than the wind exemplifies a mental model favoring survival by erring on the side of caution, a tendency that also makes belief in unseen agents (gods, spirits) compelling and persistent.

In contrast, biology represents a radically different approach, one requiring skepticism, patience, and the systematic collection of evidence. Understanding genetics, cellular mechanisms, or natural selection demands abstract thinking and the suppression of instinctual narratives. The deep time scales, randomness, and lack of inherent human significance in biological processes can feel alien or unsatisfying compared to the immediate emotional resonance of religious explanations.

Wilson’s insight addresses why scientific literacy can be so elusive or counterintuitive. Our natural cognitive disposition leans toward beliefs that reinforce social cohesion and existential comfort, not those that demand methodical detachment or challenge anthropocentric perspectives. The discipline of biology, with its relentless questioning and complexity, often runs counter to our evolved mental programming. As a result, accepting scientific explanations requires education, cultural adaptation, and sometimes a conscious override of ancient intuitions shaped long before scientific reasoning appeared. The persistence of religious thought and the comparative difficulty of scientific understanding thus reflect the profound influence of evolution on our intellectual preferences and limitations.