Science Of Good And Evil Why People Cheat Gossip Care Sh Are And Follow The Golden Rule

Author : Michael Shermer
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1429996757
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.54/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Science of Good and Evil written by Michael Shermer and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2005-01-02 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From bestselling author Michael Shermer, an investigation of the evolution of morality that is "a paragon of popularized science and philosophy" The Sun (Baltimore) A century and a half after Darwin first proposed an "evolutionary ethics," science has begun to tackle the roots of morality. Just as evolutionary biologists study why we are hungry (to motivate us to eat) or why sex is enjoyable (to motivate us to procreate), they are now searching for the very nature of humanity. In The Science of Good and Evil, science historian Michael Shermer explores how humans evolved from social primates to moral primates; how and why morality motivates the human animal; and how the foundation of moral principles can be built upon empirical evidence. Along the way he explains the implications of scientific findings for fate and free will, the existence of pure good and pure evil, and the development of early moral sentiments among the first humans. As he closes the divide between science and morality, Shermer draws on stories from the Yanamamö, infamously known as the "fierce people" of the tropical rain forest, to the Stanford studies on jailers' behavior in prisons. The Science of Good and Evil is ultimately a profound look at the moral animal, belief, and the scientific pursuit of truth.

Author : The Editors of TIME
Publisher : Time Home Entertainment
ISBN 13 : 1547848405
Total Pages : 203 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book TIME the Science of Good and Evil written by The Editors of TIME and published by Time Home Entertainment. This book was released on 2019-04-15 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the great enigmas of humanity is why we have such a devastating capacity for evil as well as such an enormous ability to do good. What makes some people commit violent harm, while others risk their lives to help those they may not even know? Now, to explore and navigate this essential question of human behavior, the editors at TIME bring you the special edition 'The Science of Good and Evil.' You'll examine "The Roots of Good and Evil," and consider the capacity for morality in animals. Then consider "What Makes Us Moral" by looking at the seemingly innate moral compass of human children and the role that nurturing plays in developing it. Follow modern neuroscience deep into the brain to see what it can tell us about where good and evil behavior might reside and what role genuine love plays in their development. Through it all, visit and analyze tales of senseless acts of violence and the profound acts of selflessness that occur in their wake. As destructive technologies and artificial intelligence continue to develop and strengthen, there has never been a more important time to understand the nature of our capacity for good and evil.

Author : Michael Shermer
Publisher : Holt Paperbacks
ISBN 13 : 9781429996761
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.65/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Why People Believe Weird Things written by Michael Shermer and published by Holt Paperbacks. This book was released on 2002-09-01 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised and Expanded Edition. In this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, "Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things," Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science. Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Strange Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them.

Author : Michael Shermer
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 9780805077698
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.93/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Science of Good and Evil written by Michael Shermer and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2005-01-02 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores how and why people made the leap fom social primate to moral primate, discussing how humans transformed the moral sentiments displayed in many primate species into ethical principles.

Author : Rami Shapiro
Publisher : SkyLight Paths Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1594735980
Total Pages : 162 pages
Book Rating : 4.81/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Golden Rule and the Games People Play written by Rami Shapiro and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-19 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This philosophical game changer looks critically at the Golden Rule in the context of game theory to see where it works and where it doesn’t, when it is applicable and when it isn’t. It shows you why knowing the difference can offer you a powerful way to transform your life from one driven by fear to one driven by love.

Author : Michael Shermer
Publisher : Henry Holt and Company
ISBN 13 : 0805096930
Total Pages : 560 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Moral Arc written by Michael Shermer and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2015-01-20 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bestselling author Michael Shermer's exploration of science and morality that demonstrates how the scientific way of thinking has made people, and society as a whole, more moral From Galileo and Newton to Thomas Hobbes and Martin Luther King, Jr., thinkers throughout history have consciously employed scientific techniques to better understand the non-physical world. The Age of Reason and the Enlightenment led theorists to apply scientific reasoning to the non-scientific disciplines of politics, economics, and moral philosophy. Instead of relying on the woodcuts of dissected bodies in old medical texts, physicians opened bodies themselves to see what was there; instead of divining truth through the authority of an ancient holy book or philosophical treatise, people began to explore the book of nature for themselves through travel and exploration; instead of the supernatural belief in the divine right of kings, people employed a natural belief in the right of democracy. In The Moral Arc, Shermer will explain how abstract reasoning, rationality, empiricism, skepticism--scientific ways of thinking--have profoundly changed the way we perceive morality and, indeed, move us ever closer to a more just world.

Author : Hector Avalos
Publisher : Prometheus Books
ISBN 13 : 1615921958
Total Pages : 444 pages
Book Rating : 4.59/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fighting Words written by Hector Avalos and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is religion inherently violent? If not, what provokes violence in the name of religion? Do we mischaracterize religion by focusing too much on its violent side?In this intriguing, original study of religious violence, Prof. Hector Avalos offers a new theory for the role of religion in violent conflicts. Starting with the premise that most violence is the result of real or perceived scare resources, Avalos persuasively argues that religion creates new scarcities on the basis of unverifiable or illusory criteria. Through a careful analysis of the fundamental texts of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, Dr. Avalos explains how four scarce resources have figured repeatedly in creating religious violence: sacred space (e.g., the perception by three world religions that Jerusalem is sacred); the creation of holy scriptures (believed to be privileged revelations of God's will); group privilege (stemming from such beliefs as a chosen people or predestination, which also creates a group of outsiders); and salvation (by which concept some are accepted and others rejected). Thus, Avalos shows, religious violence is often the most unnecessary violence of all since the scarce resources over which religious conflicts ensue are not actually scare or need not be scarce.Comparing violence in religious and nonreligious contexts, Avalos makes the compelling argument that if we condemn violence caused by scarce resources as morally objectionable, then we must consider even more objectionable violence provoked by alleged scarcities that cannot be proven to exist. He also examines the Nazi Holocaust and the Stalinist Terror, which have been attributed to the pernicious effects of atheism or secular humanism. By contrast, Avalos pinpoints underlying religious factors as the cause of these horrific instances of genocidal violence.This serious philosophical examination of the roots of religious violence adds much to our understanding of a perennial source of widespread human suffering.Hector Avalos (Ames, IA) is associate professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University, the author of five books on biblical studies and religion, the former editor of the Journal for the Critical Study of Religion, and executive director of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion.

Author : Claire White
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351010956
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.55/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion written by Claire White and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-03-14 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, a new scientific approach to understand, explain, and predict many features of religion has emerged. The cognitive science of religion (CSR) has amassed research on the forces that shape the tendency for humans to be religious and on what forms belief takes. It suggests that religion, like language or music, naturally emerges in humans with tractable similarities. This new approach has profound implications for how we understand religion, including why it appears so easily, and why people are willing to fight—and die—for it. Yet it is not without its critics, and some fear that scholars are explaining the ineffable mystery of religion away, or showing that religion is natural proves or disproves the existence of God. An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion offers students and general readers an accessible introduction to the approach, providing an overview of key findings and the debates that shape it. The volume includes a glossary of key terms, and each chapter includes suggestions for further thought and further reading as well as chapter summaries highlighting key points. This book is an indispensable resource for introductory courses on religion and a much-needed option for advanced courses.

Author : J. Brian Huffling
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1666782424
Total Pages : 151 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

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Download or read book God, Evil, and Morality written by J. Brian Huffling and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2024-01-04 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is evil evidence against the existence of God? In this lively discussion, atheists Michael Shermer and Gary Whittenberger debate theist Brian Huffling about this question. James Sterba (atheist) and Richard Howe (theist) provide a commentary on the debate. The existence of God is the most important question that one can ask. In this work, the reader will hear arguments for and against God’s existence as it relates to evil and suffering in a way that will appeal to scholars, pastors, and laypeople alike.

Author : Theodore M. Snider
Publisher : iUniverse
ISBN 13 : 1475916973
Total Pages : 409 pages
Book Rating : 4.73/5 ( download)

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Download or read book And Jacob Digged a Well written by Theodore M. Snider and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The subject of Christology has been a struggle for the church from the very beginning. It has resulted in divisions, crusades, inquisitions, persecutions, and a wide range of creeds. Each group claims it possesses the truth-a truth revealed to them, a particular turn on belief they alone rightly proclaim. In And Jacob Digged a Well, author Pastor Theodore M. Snider provides a commentary on religion-where it's been, where it's headed, and how it fits in the modern world. He seeks to answer this question: why do we believe what we believe? Snider discusses how scientific and technological discoveries have changed not only our worldviews but also our Godviews and how consciousness and brain research are altering the way we understand each other and how beliefs are formed. He compiles a diverse amount of information on topics relevant to both secular and religious audiences, including creationism, evolution, intelligent design, and artificial intelligence through historical, scientific, cognitive, and psychological avenues. And Jacob Digged a Well reminds us that "natural" may not be as clear as we once thought. Faith in the twenty-first century needs to look quite different from the past century.