Against Our Better Nature: Why Good People Do Bad Things - E-book - ePub

When discussing morality, people typically focus on the big questions and ignore the decisions we make at nearly every moment of our lives. We are not often asked to choose between a baby's life and an animal, whether to cheat on a loved one or betray a friend, but we are constantly bombarded by opportunities to act either ethically or merely self-serving. The stories in this collection are more concerned with the everyday events which try our values, the choices we are faced with on a daily basis which are not featured in Hollywood movies or famous novels, but nonetheless prove to exercise our ethical selves.
Like anyone else, these characters are confronted by moral choices even as they are torn between following their own selfish desires or the urge to perform an altruistic act. As diverse as the people who make up our world, the characters ask themselves if they should cheat on their spouse, steal money or goods, lie to a friend, think only about themselves, or give others the benefit of the doubt. Follow along as people you recognize are faced with choosing between good and evil.
That most essential human exercise of our moral selves defines whether we are merely slaves to another's rules or sociopaths who heed none.