Religions excel at providing resources for those with the greatest needs (the young and the elderly) through institutions like rest homes, orphanages, and childhood education, and through norms that obligate care, which provides an indirect empirical test of the theory since these groups are needier but no less rational than others.

factualpending

Speaker

Larry Iannaccone

Evidence Quote

by looking at people who we know to be on average somewhat more in need, but no less rational than the rest of us, we get an indirect test of this hypothesis.

Source

The Economics of Religion with Larry Iannaccone 10/9/2006EconTalk
Created: 6/17/2026, 10:31:34 AM

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