In this sweeping narrative, which takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism but to future harmony.
Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking reexamination of the past and a visionary look forward.
Using evolutionary psychology, Robert Wright explores how the morality of societies changed as those societies became more complex and how monotheism is an outgrowth of personal morality. The material is deep and detailed, so it is essential that the narrator keep the book from becoming mind-numbing in audio form. Arthur Morey does a solid job. For instance, he breaks up long sentences into logical chunks, with appropriate pauses. He also varies his tone slightly to give emphasis to unusual or especially important points. His pronunciation is impressive, especially when he vocalizes sounds from African languages for which there sometimes are no English equivalents. But the book requires concentration on the part of the listener, especially in the early part, where the author describes early societies and their belief systems in intense detail. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
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