The cognitive science of religion is an inherently heterogeneous subject, incorporating theory and data from anthropology, psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, and philosophy of mind amongst other subjects. One increasingly influential area of research in this field is concerned specifically with exploring the relationship between the evolution of the human mind, the evolution of culture in general, and the origins and subsequent development of religion. This research has exerted a strong influence on many areas of religious studies over the last twenty years, but, for some, the so-called 'evolutionary cognitive science of religion' remains a deeply problematic enterprise. This book's primary aim is to engage critically and constructively with this complex and diverse body of research from a wide range of perspectives. To these ends, the book brings together authors from a variety of relevant disciplines, in the thorough exploration of many of the key debates in the field. These include, for example: can certain aspects of religion be considered adaptive, or are they evolutionary by-products? Is the evolutionary cognitive science of religion compatible with theism? Is the evolutionary cognitive approach compatible with other, more traditional approaches to the study of religion? To what extent is religion shaped by cultural evolutionary processes? Is the evolutionary account of the mind that underpins the evolutionary cognitive approach the best or only available account? Written in accessible language, with an introductory chapter by Ilkka Pyssiainen, a leading scholar in the field, this book is a valuable resource for specialists, undergraduate and graduate students, and newcomers to the evolutionary cognitive science of religion.

Providing an extensive comparative and international study of water innovations and the issues that arise in their implementation, David Lewis Feldman analyses the technical, economic, health and environmental impacts of water innovations and their policy implications. Discussing desalination, rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse, and demand-side innovations as well as emerging cyber-infrastructure issues, The Governance of Water Innovations analyses the historical and contemporary challenges involved in water innovations. With a global reach, exploring water innovations across The Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe, chapters consider potential areas of contention involving land use, aesthetics, recreational impacts, user costs, and environmental quality. Illuminating the importance of these challenges and determining the most effective and equitable ways of meeting them, Feldman advises how innovations should be deployed, governed and implemented democratically in ways that harbour public acceptance, trust, and engagement for a water resilient future. A comprehensive study of the governance of water innovations, this book will prove invaluable to students and scholars of public policy, environmental and water studies and geopolitics. With its pioneering analysis of adaptive governance, it will also prove an essential reference guide to practitioners, professionals and policymakers working in water governance and management, including water agency officials and water resource legislators.