Abstract Our intuition suggests a trend in biological evolution toward greater complexity. However, defining complexity is challenging. Here, we explore measures of biological complexity that assign low complexity to both highly ordered and highly random systems and high complexity to those in between. Most biological systems are highly complex, falling within this intermediate range,...
The emergence of spiritual and religious practices can be seen as a major cognitive transition in the evolution of biological organisms. Spiritual and religious experiences are closely linked to evolved complex brain structures, as well as their dynamics and plasticity. In this review, we will focus on the neural mechanisms that make such experiences possible. We will also address the...