Those who are religious believe that God invented morality, but these emotions existed far before Moses inscribed God's list of imperatives in stone. Morality is part of the primitive brain, religion just gives people permission to tabulate these intuitions, and as Lehrer put it, "to translate the ethics of evolution into a straight-forward legal system". ... When morality comes in to play, this kind of self-centered thinking backfires. ... This inclination of morality can be even more brawny if there are others involved. ... This isn't to say to allow yourself to be too se...

• Word Count: 1776
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

In the excerpts from The Ape and the Sushi Master, de Waal uses the similar views of Westermarck and Mencius, to counterpoint the theories of Hobbes and Huxley. Whereas Mencius and Westermarck think that humans are born with morality and natural kindness, Hobbes and Huxley view humans as selfish and nasty. ... This idea of moral emotions further supports Westermarck's philosophy that kindness and morality are a natural effect. ...

• Word Count: 1324
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School