1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910823991503321

Autore

Hinde Robert A

Titolo

Bending the rules [[electronic resource] ] : morality in the modern world-- from relationships to politics and war / / Robert A. Hinde ; with contributions from Joseph Rotblat

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York ; ; Oxford, : Oxford University Press, 2007

ISBN

1-383-03587-3

0-19-152739-4

0-19-155124-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (vii, 279 pages)

Altri autori (Persone)

RotblatJoseph <1908-2005.>

Disciplina

170

Soggetti

Ethics - History - 21st century

Morality and society

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Intro -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1. Ethical Principles and Precepts -- 2. The Evolution of Morality -- 3. Ethics and Law -- 4. Exchange and Reciprocity: Conflict in Personal Relationships -- 5. Ethics and the Physical Sciences -- 6. Ethics and Medicine -- 7. Ethics and Politics -- 8. Ethics and Business -- 9. Ethics and War -- 10. What Does All This Mean for the Future? -- APPENDIX: RELATIONS TO MORAL PHILOSOPHY -- NOTES -- REFERENCES -- INDEX.

Sommario/riassunto

Everywhere stealing, lying and killing are considered wrong. But in some contexts, in war for example, these codes can differ. Robert Hinde argues that understanding the evolutionary origins of our morality and how we bend the rules can help guide us away from global catastrophe and towards a more ethical world. - ;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. -.