Bending the Rules: Morality in the Modern World from Relationships to Politics and War - Hardcover

Robert A. Hinde

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199218978 ISBN 13: 9780199218974

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2007

Synopsis

Everywhere people share certain moral principles - it is bad to steal, to kill, to lie. We see our morality as absolute, yet we live by rules that differ with the context: it is ok to kill the enemy in war; for a businessman to do the best for himself; for a lawyer to argue professionally for a position he would personally reject. We are constantly 'bending the rules', while considering our moral principles as absolute. Robert Hinde, the eminent Cambridge biologist and psychologist, presents a new approach to morality based on combining an evolutionary approach with observations on how people actually behave to show that morality is more subtle than it appears. The complexity of modern societies requires the rules to be somewhat flexible according to the context - personal relationships, science, law, business, politics and war. Some bending of rules is necessary for social cohesion; but too much is destructive. Hinde argues from a humanistic standpoint for a deeper appreciation of the nature of morality, so that we may avoid global catastrophe, and strive for a more ethical, just, and peaceful world.

About this title

About the Author

Robert A. Hinde is Emeritus Professor of Ethology at the University of Cambridge, and former Master of St. John's College, Cambridge. An acclaimed scientist and peace advocate, he is Fellow of the Royal Society, Honorary Fellow of the British Academy, Honorary Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199218978
• ISBN 13: 9780199218974
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 279