Testimonials
“Connor is without doubt the best editor I have ever engaged with. There is not even a close second.…he helps authors clarify their message so that they are able to express precisely what they wish to express.”
- Richard Sosis, James Barnett Professor of Humanistic Anthropology, University of Connecticut
“Wood’s editorial work reflects his own exemplary writing style. He enhances clarity without sacrificing sophistication… In both style and substance, my work has improved as a result of his care and attention.”
- Benjamin Purzycki, Associate Professor, Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Denmark
Writing Portfolio
Selected Science Journalism
"Music and Dance in Human Evolution." Patheos, June 14, 2021: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2021/06/music-and-dance-in-human-evolution/
"Maybe Modern Liberal Democracy is a Side Effect of Protestantism." Patheos, April 15, 2020: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2020/04/modern-liberal-democracy-is-a-side-effect-of-protestantism/
"Being Copycats Might be Key to Being Human." The Conversation, Jan. 4, 2020: https://theconversation.com/being-copycats-might-be-key-to-being-human-121932
"Conservatives Have Smaller Moral Circles than Progressives." Patheos, Oct. 25, 2019: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2019/10/conservatives-have-smaller-moral-circles-than-progressives/
"How We Differ from Chimps." Orbiter Magazine, Aug. 6, 2019: https://web.archive.org/web/20201020003438/https://orbitermag.com/how-we-differ-from-chimps/
"How Can Computer Models Help Us Understand Religion?" HuffPost, Dec 6., 2017:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-can-computer-models-h_b_9358258
Selected Commentary
"The Human Need for Culture." Patheos, Aug. 27, 2020: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2020/08/the-human-need-for-culture/
"Did Science Change Darwin's Brain?" Orbiter Magazine, Sept. 11, 2019: http://web.archive.org/web/20200808152359/https://orbitermag.com/did-science-change-darwins-brain/
"Science and Religion Unfriend Each Other." Orbiter Magazine, March 6, 2018: https://web.archive.org/web/20211112183143/https://orbitermag.com/science-religion-unfriend/
"Why the World Needs Liberals." Patheos, April 18, 2017: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2016/04/why-the-world-needs-liberals/
"Is a Secular America a Worse America?" Patheos, March 28, 2017: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2017/03/is-a-secular-america-a-worse-america/
"The Brexit, the Farmer, and the Forager." Patheos, June 28, 2016: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2016/06/the-brexit-the-farmer-and-the-forager/
"Think the Muslim World Needs to 'Reform?' Think Again," Patheos, Jan. 21, 2016: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2016/01/think-the-muslim-world-needs-to-reform-think-again/
"Anthropology, Not Demagoguery, Is the Way to Understand ISIS." Patheos, April 28, 2015: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2015/04/anthropology-not-demagoguery-is-the-way-to-understand-isis/
"Yes, Fundamentalism is Religion. And It Starts Wars." Patheos, Aug. 11, 2014: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2014/08/yes-fundamentalism-is-religion-and-it-starts-wars/
"The Culture Wars: An Armistice." CivilPolitics.org, Aug. 9, 2012: https://www.civilpolitics.org/content/culture-wars-armistice/
Selected Academic Publications
Wood, Connor, and John H. Shaver. 2018. "Religion, Evolution, and the Basis of Institutions: The Institutional Cognition Model of Religion," Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture 2(2): https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.26613/esic.2.2.89/html
2017. "Ritual well-being: toward a social signaling model of religion and mental health," Religion, Brain & Behavior 7(3): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305171325_Ritual_well-being_toward_a_social_signaling_model_of_religion_and_mental_health
2012. "Review: Sebastian Schüler, Eine Religionswissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit der Cognitive Science of Religion," Religion, Brain & Behavior: https://www.academia.edu/3316002/Review_Sebastian_Sch%C3%BCler_Eine_Religionswissenschaftliche_Auseinandersetzung_mit_der_Cognitive_Science_of_Religion