The SHIRE Lab
The Systems, Humanistic Inquiry, Religion, and Evolution Lab
Even the wise cannot see all ends.
— Gandalf
Meddlesome Wizard:
Hobbits:
Matthew Conrad
Fatemeh Saki
Theo Samore
Chelsea Betts
Hobbits who sailed to the Undying Lands:
Candace Alcorta
Jordan Kiper
Benjamin Purzycki
John Shaver
Council of the Wise:
Goldberry, special adviser to the Wizard
Jumpy, R.I.P.
Virgool, Persian prophet
Dixie, Éowyn Incarnate
Research in the SHIRE Lab is motivated by a desire to understand the human condition in all its complexity and messiness. Work in the lab is theoretically grounded in the evolutionary sciences, although we are also broadly committed to humanistic analyses of behavioral diversity. Much of our work, but not all, has focused on religious systems; their evolution, consequences, and myriad forms. We believe empirical and theoretical approaches that recognize the interconnectedness of all aspects of human lives offer the most promising understanding of humanity. Systems analyses, notably, relies on quantitative measurement, simulation, and modeling, while recognizing the importance of ethnographic detail, historical nuance, and contingency.
We are inspired by anthropology’s holistic vision, yet we appreciate that research progress, whether in the sciences or humanities, is made in a piecemeal fashion. This and other tensions, such as the conflict between universalism and particularism, are inherent within anthropology and, we believe, an asset to the discipline rather than a limitation. As Roy Rappaport describes:
Two traditions have proceeded in anthropology since its inception. One, objective in its aspirations and inspired by the biological sciences, seeks explanation and is concerned to discover causes, or even, in the view of the ambitious, laws. The other, influenced by philosophy, linguistics, and the humanities and open to more subjectively derived knowledge, attempts interpretation and seeks to elucidate meanings…
Rappaport argues that “any radical separation of the two is misguided.” In the SHIRE Lab we agree. Humans are biological organisms who are born into, and cannot exist, without swimming in an evolving cultural sea of meanings of their own creation. The SHIRE Lab aims to understand these curious and magnificent organisms, and the sea they swim in.
Current Research Projects:
Mail: Room 440, Beach Hall, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269
Email: richard.sosis@uconn.edu
Richard Sosis 
