0415277523.Routledge.Why.Good.is.Good.The.Sources.of.Morality.Mar.2002.pdf

WHY GOOD IS GOOD

‘A wonderful addition to the literature on morality … that will force theologians,

philosophers and social scientists to seriously consider the contributions natural

science can make to moral discourse.’

Ralph Hood, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

‘This book is thoroughly researched, engagingly written, and logically and persua-

sively argued. I do not know of any other book that attempts what Hinde has

accomplished in this one.’

David Wulff, Wheaton College, Massachusetts

What can science tell us about morality? It is often said that science – because it tells

us about the way the world is and not how it ought to be – can have nothing to say

about ethical matters; yet scientists increasingly tell us that evolutionary biology has

much to tell us about our values. This ground-breaking new book argues that only a

multidisciplinary approach will enable us to understand morality.

The author draws on psychology, philosophy, biology and social anthropology to

explore the origins of our moral systems. He discusses the ethical views of different

cultures and different eras, looking at attitudes towards infidelity, acts of revenge and

human rights. The result is not only a compelling insight into the history and devel-

opment of the world’s moral systems: Robert Hinde argues that an understanding of

morality’s origins can clarify and inform contemporary ethical debates over topics

such as abortion and the treatment of terminally ill patients.

By using fascinating examples ranging from the nature of socio-political power to

the moralities of Argentine football, Robert Hinde demonstrates that moral systems

are derived from human nature in interaction with the social, cultural and physical

experiences of individuals. On this view of morality, moral codes are neither fixed

nor freely unconstrained but a balancing act between what people do and what they

are supposed to do.

The multidisciplinary nature of this book makes it accessible to anyone interested

in the relation of ethics to biology, social science and the humanities.

Robert A. Hinde is a Professor at St. John’s College, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal

Society and Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

His most recent book, Why Gods Persist (Routledge, 1999), applied a similar multi-

disciplinary approach to the ubiquity of religious systems.

WHY GOOD IS GOOD

The sources of morality

Robert A. Hinde

London and New York

First published 2002

by Routledge

11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2005.

“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s

collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”

reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,

mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter

invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any

information storage or retrieval system, without permission in

writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Hinde, Robert A.

Why good is good : the sources of morality / Robert Hinde.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Ethics. I. Title.

BJ1012 .H54 2002

170–dc21 2001048669

ISBN 0-203-99431-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0–415–27752–3 (hbk)

ISBN 0–415–27753–1 (pbk)

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