The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

This work examines the evolutionary and scientific foundations of human morality, arguing that ethical behavior emerges from natural processes rather than divine command or supernatural origin. Shermer, a prominent skeptic and science advocate, constructs a naturalistic account of moral sentiments that directly challenges religious explanations for human goodness and evil.

The monograph develops what Shermer terms "provisional ethics," grounded in evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He traces moral emotions like empathy, guilt, and altruism to their adaptive functions in human evolution, demonstrating how cooperation and reciprocity enhanced survival in ancestral environments. This evolutionary framework explains both prosocial behaviors (caring, sharing) and antisocial ones (cheating, gossiping) as products of the same natural processes that shaped human psychology.

Central to Shermer's argument is his critique of the "transcendent temptation" - the tendency to attribute morality to supernatural sources. He systematically dismantles claims that religion provides the necessary foundation for ethics, drawing on cross-cultural studies showing moral universals across religious and secular societies. His analysis of the Golden Rule reveals its presence in diverse cultural traditions predating major monotheistic religions, suggesting biological rather than theological origins.

The work engages directly with religious apologetics, particularly responding to arguments that without God, morality becomes arbitrary or nihilistic. Shermer counters by demonstrating how scientific understanding enhances rather than diminishes moral responsibility. He introduces the concept of "provisional morality" - ethical principles that remain open to revision based on evidence while maintaining practical force in human affairs.

Methodologically, Shermer synthesizes findings from evolutionary psychology, primatology, game theory, and neuroscience to build his case. He employs historical analysis to trace changing moral attitudes, showing how scientific progress correlates with expanding circles of moral concern. His treatment of controversial topics like genetic determinism and free will navigates between biological reductionism and dualistic thinking.

The monograph's significance lies in its comprehensive naturalistic alternative to theological ethics. By grounding morality in empirical science rather than metaphysical speculation, Shermer contributes to broader debates about secularization and the possibility of godless goodness. His work represents a key text in the New Atheist movement's effort to demonstrate that rejecting religious belief need not entail rejecting morality itself, instead relocating ethics within the natural world studied by science.