Our Human Herds presents a new theory in moral and political philosophy, called "dual morality." The theory proposes that just as the physical senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing evolved to help us navigate our physical environment, two independent moral senses evolved to guide us to success in our social world. One prioritizes cooperation; the other, competition. The first bases moral justification on the egalitarianism that emphasizes our equal worth; the other finds moral justification in the inequalities that allow us to distinguish better from worse. "Liberal" and "conservative" are merely the names given to the political manifestations of these two forms of moral expression, just as "socialist" and "capitalist" describe their economic manifestations, and "personality" and "character" their psychological ones. Our Human Herds addresses what it means to be a human being, why we fight about the things that divide us, and why we unite behind the ideas that draw us together. The book examines all aspects of human social behavior, revealing how and why we often disagree in our approaches to education, history, war, crime, pleasure, happiness, politics, science and religion. "This is a learned, thoroughly researched study - and dazzlingly bright. The effervescent approach to writing makes its pages fly by ... Studies as brilliant as this one deserve a far wider audience. An engrossing and mind-expanding examination of morality" -Kirkus Reviews Book Review: A vast philosophical study charts the shifting moral landscape while tackling the weightiest question of human existence: what is the meaning of life? Humanity’s moral framework remains in a constant state of reconstruction. As the author points out in his opening chapter: “Two hundred years ago if a woman was raped and became pregnant we’d kill the rapist and spare the baby. Today, we spare rapist and kill the baby. Centuries ago many cultures condoned polygamy; today we put people in jail for it.” Over the course of this weighty tome, which is just shy of 1,000 pages, the author ponders what morality is (with an emphasis on humans as grouping or “herding” creatures) and the causes of its flux and reflux. Furthermore, there is an attempt to reconcile opposing philosophical theories by introducing a new conceptual model called “Dual Morality,” proposed as an “all-encompassing blueprint of human morality.” The study is logically structured, divided into four sections: “The Theory of Dual Moralism,” “The Explanation” (including investigations of the group and the self), “The Derivations” (which considers family, country, religion, and science/nature/technology), and finally “The Extrapolations” (a far-reaching look at everything from pleasure and happiness to suicide, murder, and abortion). The author possesses the rare skill of being able to explore himself with an enviable ease, drawing on palatable references to popular culture. For example: “Comedian Woody Allen said he laughs at his own jokes when they first come to him because humor originates in the unconscious. When his conscious mind hears them for the first time, it is as if they came from another place, and so we are, in a way, an audience to our own humor.” This approach, applied throughout, makes complex ideas not only accessible, but entertaining and enjoyable as well. The result is far from the predictable, dry academic thesis. This is a learned, thoroughly researched study—and dazzlingly bright. The effervescent approach to writing makes its 951 pages fly by. Fritz’s dedication is to “that miniscule fragment of humanity who read books like this.” Studies as brilliant as this one deserve a far wider audience. An engrossing and mind-expanding examination of morality. -- Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 6411 Burleson Rd., Austin, TX 78744 indie@kirkusreviews

Two hundred years ago if a woman was raped and became pregnant we'd kill the rapist and spare the baby. Today, we spare rapist and kill the baby. How could American revolutionaries justify demanding liberty for themselves while refusing to give it to their own slaves? One hundred years ago only heterosexual marriage was allowed and people were sentenced to prison for homosexual behavior. Today people everywhere are celebrating gay marriage. How and why do things change so dramatically? This book explains such changes. In it we will discover the origins of moral outlook itself, and how it shapes all human institutions from forms of government to beliefs about family, art, honor, virginity, atheism, and divinities. We will find out how moral understanding gives rise to liberals and conservatives, communists and fascists; and operates with emotional motivators like pleasure and happiness. It outlines why we create terms like personality and character, and how our thoughts are shaped to questions like: "What is the meaning of life?" By the time you are done reading this book, you will have concrete answers to all such questions and many more.

Our Human Herds presents a new theory in moral and political philosophy, called “dual morality.” The theory proposes that just as the physical senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing evolved to help us navigate our physical environment, two independent moral senses evolved to guide us to success in our social world. One prioritizes cooperation; the other, competition. The first bases moral justification on the egalitarianism that emphasizes our equal worth; the other finds moral justification in the inequalities that allow us to distinguish better from worse. “Liberal” and “conservative” are merely the names given to the political manifestations of these two forms of moral expression, just as “socialist” and “capitalist” describe their economic manifestations, and “personality” and “character” their psychological ones. Our Human Herds addresses what it means to be a human being, why we fight about the things that divide us, and why we unite behind the ideas that draw us together. The book examines all aspects of human social behavior, revealing how and why we often disagree in our approaches to education, history, war, crime, pleasure, happiness, politics, science and religion. “This is a learned, thoroughly researched study - and dazzlingly bright. The effervescent approach to writing makes its pages fly by ... Studies as brilliant as this one deserve a far wider audience. An engrossing and mind-expanding examination of morality" —Kirkus Reviews

Domestic animals have lived with humans for thousands of years and remain essential to the everyday lives of people throughout the world. In this book, Natasha Fijn examines the process of animal domestication in a study that blends biological and social anthropology, ethology and ethnography. She examines the social behavior of humans and animals in a contemporary Mongolian herding society. After living with Mongolian herding families, Dr Fijn has observed through firsthand experience both sides of the human-animal relationship. Examining their reciprocal social behavior and communication with one another, she demonstrates how herd animals influence Mongolian herders' lives and how the animals themselves are active partners in the domestication process.

Linda Kohanov is beloved for her groundbreaking articulation of “the way of the horse,” an experiential wisdom known to riders for centuries but little studied or adapted to off-horse use. Now Kohanov takes those horse-inspired insights on the nonverbal elements of exceptional communication and leadership into the realms of our workplaces and relationships. Here we explore the benefits of “nonpredatory power” in developing assertiveness, fostering creativity, dealing with conflict, and heightening mind-body awareness. In “A Brief History of Power,” the first part of this far-reaching book, Kohanov profiles cultural innovators who employed extraordinary nonverbal leadership skills to change history, usually on horseback: Winston Churchill, George Washington, Alexander the Great, and Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), among others. She also draws on the behavior of mature horse herds, as well as the herding cultures of Africa and Mongolia, to debunk theories of dominance hierarchies, challenge ingrained notions of “survival of the fittest,” and demonstrate the power of a consensual leadership in which governing roles are fluid. Kohanov then adapts these lessons into twelve powerful guiding principles we can all incorporate into our work and personal lives. Eloquent and provocative, this is horse sense for everyone who seeks to thrive in the herds we all run in — our communities, careers, families, and friendships.

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