This book is one of the best birthday gifts that I have received in recent years. On asking my friend how she picked this book for me, I was stunned to hear that she had used AI by giving my website reference that contains books I have written and reviewed. This indicates the enormous potential that AI has in arriving at informed and well researched decisions, even in gifting.
For all those who are troubled by the hatred filled newspapers and TV news that divide our society at every opportunity, this book is an ideal balm. The author explores why societies are getting more divisive and filled with hatred. A professor and researcher of moral psychology, the goal of this book is to replace heat, anger and divisiveness with awe, wonder and curiosity. I think book lives up to its goal as it helped me appreciate the basis for why sane, rational and intelligent people have different views on the same issue.
The book is rich in content and covers a wide array of topics that are interrelated making it worthy of multiple reads and a reference book in libraries. It blends philosophy, psychology, neuroscience and anthropology to present an evolutionary picture of how morals emerged in human society and why societies have different code of ethics. It traces the origin and anchors for the three schools of ethic -of Autonomy, Community and Divinity. Identifying the six moral anchors of care, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority and sanctity, the author does an excellent job of analyzing their origin, the utility they had and their current validity.
I must confess that I may have grasped less than a third of this book and that itself is keeping me quite engaged in examining how I think about people with whom I disagree. The idea that some brains are wired to be more defensive and cautious, while others have a more exploratory and experimental mindset is revealing. Further the finding that the code of ethic changes as we move from Western to Eastern hemisphere; from Autonomy to Community and Divinity was new. The reason why right-wing politicians connect better with masses by appealing to all six emotions while the left-wing appeal primarily to care and fairness was on reflection validated. The concept of group loyalty vs. universal love for humanity playing a key role in the right-left divide was also appealing visible in the attitude towards immigrants both in USA and India.
I recommend this book to each and every thinking adult, and wish there are more debates and discussions on this book in collages and news-rooms. For those looking to build a bridge in our fractured society this book has a lot to offer.
Happy reading as we pursue common grounds to build a more amicable world to live in.
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