The Invention of Good and Evil

A World History of Morality

Hanno Sauer, Jo Heinrich

$55

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Profile
26 November 2024

General & world history; Philosophy; Ethics & moral philosophy; Social & cultural anthropology

For almost five million years, humans have been locked in a relationship with morality, inventing and reinventing the concepts of 'Good' and 'Evil', and weaving them into our cities, laws and customs. Morality is a concept that can feel joyless and claustrophobic, associated with restraint and coercion, restriction and sacrifice, inquisition, confession and a guilty conscience. For many, it is a device used to shame us into compliance. This impression is not necessarily incorrect, but it is most certainly incomplete. Hanno Sauer traces humanity's fundamental moral transformations from our earliest ancestors through to the present day, when it can often seem that we have never disagreed more over what it means to be good, and what it means to be right. But we can use our past as a basis for a new understanding of our future. Our current political disagreements may feel like the end of the world, but where will the evolution of morality take us next?

By: Hanno Sauer
Translated by: Jo Heinrich
Imprint: Profile
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 158mm, Spine: 44mm
Weight: 630g
ISBN: 9781800818293
ISBN 10: 1800818297
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 26 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Dr Hanno Sauer is an Associate Professor of Ethics at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies and a member of the Ethics Institute at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. His current research takes an interdisciplinary approach to ethics, involving empirically informed metaethics that blends fields of neuroscience, cognitive science politics and social psychology.

Reviews for The Invention of Good and Evil: A World History of Morality

'Sauer's comprehensive history of morality from the origins of humanity until today provides a solid basis for contemporary debates - cleverly written, entertaining, and an invitation to rethink one's beliefs' - German Non-Fiction Award Jury 'A tour de force through the history of our values' - Der Standard, Austria 'One of the best non-fiction books of the year' - El Mundo, Spain 'Elegant, confident, eloquent and smart' - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany 'This look into the past is very entertaining, versatile, interestingly presented and at the same time razor-sharp and full of surprises.' - Munchner Merkur, Germany