“The Bonobo and the Atheist” is an illuminating journey into the very beginnings of morality. It is highly unlikely that those who profess a religion loudly would be caught with any book with the word “atheist” in its title. And that would be a shame, because de Waal’s book, more than many atheist diatribes, is reaching for something more profound. Although he insists that religion grew out of the seeds of morality, he also acknowledges that all human cultures exhibit this trait for some reason. And that reason may be that religion actually does aid in an individual’s and a group’s desire for order, fairness, cooperation and altruism. This atheist seems to be saying that religion, but more broadly morality, is essential to our survival as a species, because we would not have evolved to have it if it wasn’t.
http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture...heist_20140620
http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture...heist_20140620
Comment