Publisher's Synopsis
This is a story about us - who we really are - and the essential morality that we assumed we had but do not have.
When life began, we moved from the physical system, where the freedom of a rock is zero, to the biological system, where the freedom of life is potentially infinite. Life and freedom must coexist, and both must be maintained by moral behavior.
Morality is Innate
This book shows that morality is innate, and the implications are profound:
- We have Countless Moralities. Evolution designs humans to adapt to their environments. Consequently, there are countless versions of morality - rather than one universal morality.
- We have No Morality for Situations that were Novel within the Last 7,000 Years. Approximately 7,000 years ago, capital (i.e., knowledge and its manifestations), which increases exponentially, reached a level of development that whelmed the slow rate of evolution. Consequently, there are many novel types of situations for which we have not evolved morality - only dilemmas. It is estimated that delays in the evolution of morality have allowed billions of humans to be killed by conflicts and wars. It is eerie to realize that in some situations our moral judgment is baseless: How can we hit the bull's-eye of a target has not yet evolved?
Precise Definitions of Important Parameters
The physical sciences have enjoyed the benefits of mathematical models for centuries. We have derived mathematical models for
- moral behavior,
- individual freedom, and
- market freedom.
Naturally Opposing Binary States
Some important naturally opposing binary states have been altered by capital:
- consume-produce,
- risk-reward,
- rights-responsibilities,
- freedom-moral behavior, and
- supply-demand.
For example, when modern governments assume our responsibilities they take our rights.
