The Diffusion of Christianity in the Third Century AD as a Case-Study in the Theory of Cultural Selection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4180232 |
|---|---|
| Authors | W G Runciman (Trinity College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-21 |
| Publication date | 2004-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-9756 • E-ISSN: 1474-0583 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0003975604001365 |
| OpenAlex | W2162521705 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 21 |
Explanation of the growth of Christianity in the third century Roman Empire has long been controversial. However, recent game-theoretic research shows how a strategy of unconditional altruism such as Christianity formally enjoined can, under certain conditions, resist invasion by defectors, free-riders and cheats. It is accordingly plausible to suggest that in the particular environment of the third century Empire this uniquely distinguishing feature of Christianity accounts for much of its otherwise surprising degree of success
Altruism (biology) · Ancient history · Christianity · Economics · Empire · Epistemology · Positive economics · Roman Empire · Selection (genetic algorithm) · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · History · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies · Social Psychology
History, Sociology, and Evolutionary Thinking
Co je dnes v sociologii obhajitelné? Prezentismus, historická vize a proč je sociologie užitečná
History of Religion as Critique of Religion?
The Sacred and Power
Fields of Tension
Transcendence as Reflexive Sacredness
Religious Experience and the Theory of Signs
Ritual and the Sacred
Multiple Forms of Ideal Formation or Process of Disenchantment?
Does Sociology Have Any Choice but to Be Evolutionary
Religion and civilization in the sociology of Norbert Elias
Sociology and theology reconsidered
The Power of the Sacred
Dangerous but contagious altruism
Old age in Byzantine society
Marxism and the spatial analysis of early Christianity
Symbols and world politics
Puritan American Capitalists and Evolutionary Game Theory
Social Change and Selectionist Thought
Does culture evolve by means of Darwinian selection? The lessons of Candide's travels
What is Worth Defending in Sociology Today? Presentism, Historical Vision and the Uses of Sociology
| Unique citing works | 21 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2005 - 2026 (22) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 19 |