Parameter space used in sensitivity analyses.

The relationship between religion, society, and individual behaviour has been a subject of extensive inquiry, drawing upon a rich collection of historical and contemporary perspectives. The scientific study of religion at the social level has often found its roots in the foundational work of Durkheim (Durkheim, 1912), who posited that religion serves as a catalyst for social order and the promotion of prosocial behaviour. At the same time, Malinowski’s observations regarding the connection between ritual and anxiety have led to a number of lines of inquiry that have come to extend to other aspects of religion. Yet, taken together, these two approaches create friction by simultaneously linking religion to low and high levels of environmental threats and anxiety. This becomes particularly relevant in discussions of secularisation in general and existential security in particular. This study embarks on a theoretical exploration of these approaches, connecting them through an agent-based computer simulation. By linking together some of the intricate mechanisms that underlie the dynamics of religion, prosociality, and anxiety, we aim to shed light on the conditions that give rise to highly religious societies and the subsequent decline in religiosity, with a view to the significance of central institutions that ensure cooperation without recourse to religion in this complex narrative.宗教、社会与个体行为之间的关联，始终是学界广泛探讨的核心议题，相关研究依托了大量历史与当代的多元视角。从社会学维度对宗教开展的科学研究，其源头通常可追溯至涂尔干（Durkheim, 1912）的奠基性工作，他提出宗教是推动社会秩序构建与亲社会行为（prosocial behaviour）发展的催化剂。与此同时，马林诺夫斯基针对仪式与焦虑间关联所开展的观察研究，催生了多条后续研究路径，并逐步拓展至宗教的其他研究范畴。但综合来看，这两种研究路径却存在内在张力：二者同时将宗教与高低程度各异的环境威胁及焦虑水平相关联。这一点在关于世俗化的整体讨论，尤其是围绕生存安全感的议题中显得尤为关键。本研究针对上述两类研究路径展开理论探索，并通过基于智能体（Agent）的计算机模拟将二者加以关联。本研究通过梳理支撑宗教、亲社会行为与焦虑动态演变的部分复杂机制，旨在阐明催生高度宗教化社会以及后续宗教虔诚度下降的各类条件，以期探讨在这一复杂研究脉络中，无需依托宗教即可保障合作的核心制度所具备的重要意义。