The Moral Arc
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Cover of the first edition
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| Author | Michael Shermer |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
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Publication date
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20 Jan 2015 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 560 |
| ISBN | 978-0-8050-9691-0 |
The Moral Arc: How Science Leads Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom is a 2015 book by Michael Shermer. Steven Pinker describes the book as a sequel to The Better Angels of Our Nature.[1]
In his book — named after the quotation by Transcendentalist and Unitarian minister Theodore Parker (1810–1860) that the arc of the moral universe "is a long one" but "it bends towards justice" — Shermer argues that the rise of trade and rise of literacy though the industrial revolution's need for highly educated knowledge workers, has created a "moral Flynn effect"[2] and led to cultures with lower rates of violent crime.[3] Shermer argues that the rise of full democracies around the world, combined with the spread of human rights and civil liberties has led to greater human flourishing.
Shermer criticises historical religious justifications for women being burned alive on suspicion of being witches, the support of slavery, cruelty to animals, mistreatment of women and homophobia,[4] and writes that the spread of scientific and enlightened values has created a better foundation for civil society.
External Links
- ReasonTV
- MSNBC interview
- LA Times op ed
- libertarianism.org
See also
- War Before Civilization
- The Better Angels of Our Nature
- The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves
