Mere Morality [Paperback]

What drives us to be good? How do we even know how to be good? Philosophers and theologians have dealt with such questions for millennia, but Dan Barker thinks the answers are not so complicated. InMere Morality, he argues there's no need to appeal to supernatural commandments or the fear of some higher power when considering morality. Stripping “good" and "evil” down to the basics, he offers a simple compass for navigating life's most difficult moral and ethical dilemmas.

"Former pastor Dan Barker's eloquent and subtle antidote toMere Christianityshows us by example how a very good person can get along fine without religion, inspiring others, accomplishing great works, and having a lot of fun in the bargain.” —Daniel C. Dennett, University Professor and Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University

"Dan Barker’sMere Moralityis a potent riposte to C. S. Lewis’Mere Christianity, a book much beloved by Christian apologists. Barker exposes the myriad of biblical practices that could be deemed immoral today, especially because so much of the Bible was written within a master-slave view of the world.Mere Moralityoffers a real-world view of morality grounded in behavioral biology, reason, and law." —Hector Avalos, author ofFighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence

Dan Barkerserved as an evangelical preacher for nearly 20 years until he decided to leave Christianity. Today he is co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation and co-host of Freethought Radio. A widely sought-after lecturer, debater, and performer, he is author ofGodless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading AtheistsandGod: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.