The Science of Good and Evil : Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: To the question: does morality depend on god? Plato answered it better than Shermer in they Euthyphro. He said God loves what is good because it is good; it is not good because he loves it. In other words, morality is an independent concept, as is evil. Yes, Shermer is correct, they are manmade concepts. I take Michael Berumen's approach. It is not rational to induce our own harm without justification (there are lots of reasons why one might), and it is not moral to cause others harm without justeification (again, there are reasons to do so). The object of morality is to avoid causing suffering and de4ath, and we should entertain doing so only when we can universalize our action for all similar circumstances. Concepts of the good and promoting the welfare of others are all secondary, for they cannot be universal laws (they are subject to different standards of understanding, are not always actionable, etc.). Shermer is right about a lot, but there are better philosophical tracts.

Rating:
Summary: Well Presented Book
Review: While I can't say I agreed with everything in this book, either way, Shermer does a great job of presenting his theory and backing it up. I would defintily recommend checking this book out, as even if you don't agree with what he has to say, it's going to make you think.