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The Moral Animal
- Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
- Narrated by: Greg Thornton
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
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Publisher's summary
Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.
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Our Political Nature is the first book to reveal the hidden roots of our most deeply held moral values. It shows how political orientations across space and time arise from three clusters of measurable personality traits. These clusters entail opposing attitudes toward tribalism, inequality, and differing perceptions of human nature. Together, these traits are by far the most powerful cause of left-right voting, even leading people to regularly vote against their economic interests.
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A Trivial Version of Haidt's "The Righteous Mind"
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The Belief Instinct
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Why is belief so hard to shake? Despite our best attempts to embrace rational thought and reject superstition, we often find ourselves appealing to unseen forces that guide our destiny, wondering who might be watching us as we go about our lives, and imagining what might come after death. In this lively and masterfully argued new book, Jesse Bering unveils the psychological underpinnings of why we believe.
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engaging and insightful
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Would You Kill the Fat Man?
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A train is racing toward five men, tied to the track. Unless the train is stopped, it will inevitably kill all five men. If a fat man is pushed onto the line, although he will die, his body will stop the train, saving five lives. Would you kill the fat man? As David Edmonds shows, answering the question is far more complex, and important, than it first appears. In fact, how we answer it tells us a great deal about right and wrong.
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Wonderfully Rendered Book...
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
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Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.
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I'd kill for another book this good
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What's Wrong with Homosexuality?
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For the last 20 years, John Corvino - widely known as the author of the weekly column "The Gay Moralist" - has traversed the country responding to moral and religious arguments against same-sex relationships. In this timely audiobook, he shares that experience - addressing the standard objections to homosexuality and offering insight into the culture wars more generally. Is homosexuality unnatural? Does the Bible condemn it? Are people born gay (and should it matter either way)? Corvino approaches such questions with precision, sensitivity, and good humor.
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Great book and great author
- By Anonymous User on 06-21-18
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How to Love
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The internationally best-selling author of Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, Dr. Gordon Livingston here helps readers discover fulfilling happiness. By recognizing and understanding particular character traits in ourselves and others, we can all learn who best to love - and who best to avoid.
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Honest and right to the point
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The Unholy Trinity
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This highly anticipated debut from Matt Walsh of The Blaze demands that conservative voters make a last stand and fight for the moral center of America. The Trump presidency and Republican Congress provides an urgent opportunity to stop the Left's value-bending march to destroy the culture of our country. Republican control of the presidency, senate, and House of Representatives for the next two years is a precious - and fleeting - gift to conservatives.
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An excellent read
- By Don Huslage on 12-18-19
By: Matt Walsh
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What listeners say about The Moral Animal
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Colin Wright
- 06-13-22
Morality And Religion Reconciled
Morality is a human ìmperative for existence, not a religious miracle. The author makes his case and examines Darwinism and the man Darwin.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Acteon
- 12-27-13
Profound and illuminating
What made the experience of listening to The Moral Animal the most enjoyable?
This books put many things into a new perspective; it is one of the rare books that have transformed the way I see myself, my life (both external and internal), society, and life in general.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The insights kept coming, chapter after chapter...
What three words best describe Greg Thornton’s voice?
Pinched, tight, not very pleasant. But the book is so great that this can be overlooked.
Any additional comments?
I have seldom experienced such sustained excitement in listening to an audiobook.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Steve Heitz
- 10-24-17
only for the open minded
wow! If you have questions, you may find some answers in this book. I have an amazing new perspective. the book could have been dumbed down slightly for me as there were some times I found myself looking up words but it certainly shined a new light for me on Darwin.
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- Anonymous User
- 05-07-20
Great book
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in human nature, psychology, philosophy and science. The book is well written and highly informative. I'm definitely looking for more books by this author
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-05-22
Informative and Enlightening
I started by reading "Why Buddhism is True" by Robert Wright, and this book is the precursor to a lot of ideas in that book. I highly recommend reading both if you enjoyed "The Moral Animal."
The Moral Animal is a diagnosis of the human condition and explains why or brains work the way they do based on evolution. The idea are well-thought and thoroughly researched and help you re-analyze how you look at the world, how you treat others, and your sense of self. Wright also uses the life of Charles Darwin as a consistent example of how the mind works. Thus, on top of the scientific and philosophical insights it's an interesting take on a sort-of biography of Darwin.
My only additional note is Wright is very verbose and writes like an academic in this book, so it is a little dense. If you get through this one and read "Why Buddhism is True," however, his writing style changes significantly and becomes more casual and conversational. Either way, this book is a great read.
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- Btf
- 12-30-17
Great book
I read this after reading Wright's "Why Buddhism is True..." Both are great, readable evolutionary psychology books, and they both opened and blew my mind.
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- "ge-ko"
- 02-25-15
a lot of insights into how we became what we are
even though the book is occasionally a bit dry both in content and performance, it is a worthwhile listen. it dives into the evolution of human morality takes a slightly critical stance about the more easy-going view of e.g. "sex at dawn", critically. discusses Frans de Waal's primate research in fairly some detail. certainly a highly recommendable contribution to an ongoing discussion.
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- Liron
- 10-25-10
Ridiculously Insightful
The Moral Animal is THE book on evolutionary psychology. Robert Wright applies a straightforward game-theoretic analysis to theorize how natural selection shaped human psychology, and gets remarkably penetrating insights into human nature.
I feel like I am seeing human nature laid bare. I find myself shaking my head in awe, because after I hear Wright's characterization of some social dynamic, it seems so clear obvious in retrospect that I can't believe it's not common knowledge.
I also love the way Wright applies the principles of evolutionary psychology to analyze episodes in Darwin's life. Wright's Darwinian understanding of human nature enriches the book's view into Darwin's life.
This is one of the best books in the entire Audible collection. A must-listen.
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- Lynn
- 02-12-12
Older but Worthwhile Introduction
Robert Wright’s Moral Animal (1995) is not one of the new books on the topic of evolutionary psychology, but it is a start. Here Wright explains thinking associated with evolutionary psychology and links it to the life and teachings of Charles Darwin. The book is thought provoking and gently takes the reader into this relatively new psychological perspective. Wright’s consideration of kin-related altruism was of particular interest to me. For my taste, however, Wright spends more time on Darwin’s biography than on introducing evolutionary psychology per se. I will look further to learn more. Greg Thornton's reading is a plus.
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- Boring People
- 02-15-19
Half of this book is a biography of Charles Darwin
If you want to learn more about the life and possible motivations of Charles Darwin, ANNNNNND you want to learn about evolutionary psychology (albeit, from an overview that is slightly dated), then this is the book for you. If you want just one of those things, there are better options out there.
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