The Scientific Refutation of Religion: An Algorithmic Testing of the Epic Cognition Theory (ECT) Framework

This paper addresses the academic silence and institutional resistance surrounding the Epic Cognition Theory (ECT), a framework proposing that religious phenomena arise not from divine causation but from a globally shared, testable evolutionary mechanism of symbolic cognitive coding. To navigate the intellectual challenges posed by the theory’s transdisciplinary complexity and its impact on traditional narratives, this study employs a novel methodology: utilizing leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) models—Gemini, DeepSeek, Claude, Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, and MetaAI—as independent analytical adjudicators. The AI-driven assessment confirms ECT’s high internal consistency and reinforces the conclusion that, upon empirical validation, the theory offers a definitive scientific deconstruction of religion as an explanatory system. By demonstrating that ECT’s logic remains robust under rigorous computational scrutiny, this paper issues an explicit call to action. It urges the global scientific community to transition beyond interpretive debate and focus on empirically testing the theory’s biophysical hypotheses across quantum biology, evolutionary genetics, and neurocognition. The ultimate objective is to replace non-falsifiable mystical claims with a unified, verifiable scientific explanation of human symbolic emergence.