Hinde, Robert A. Bending the Rules: Morality in the Modern World from Relationships to Politics and War.

• Author: Uneke, Okori A.
• Position: Book review

Hinde, Robert A. Bending the Rules: Morality in the Modern World from Relationships to Politics and War. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. 279 pages. Cloth, $29.95.

Bending the Rules aptly highlights the gap between principles and praxis. In terms of moral codes and values, people everywhere share certain principles. It is bad to steal, to kill, or to lie, to name a few commonplace moral codes, but in practice we often undermine these values. For example, it is acceptable for soldiers to kill in war and be honored for it, for scientists to distance themselves from the applications of their research, for lawyers to argue a point with which they personally disagree, and for politicians to adhere to their party line instead of voting their conscience. Thus, we not only bend the rules, but we also consider ourselves justified in doing so, while at the same time maintaining a belief in moral absolutes. This book shines a bright light on how rule-bending in the context of hardening in-group boundaries, rationalizing duty over other moral obligations, and pursuing selfish interests in the name of survival or self-preservation occurs within personal relationships, physical sciences, medicine, politics, business, and war.

The book comprises an introduction and ten chapters, ranging in topic from ethical principles and precepts to what ethics violations and rule-bending mean for the future. In Bending the Rules, Robert A. Hinde, the distinguished Cambridge behavioral scientist and peace activist--who is supported by contributions from Joseph Rotblat, co-founder with philosopher Bertrand Russell of British Pugwash, an international conflict-resolution organization--sidesteps the familiar route adopted in moral philosophy regarding what is right and just. Instead, the author, a zoologist and social psychologist, describes his approach as an application of evolutionary biology and psychology to moral theory. He applies insights from the behavioral sciences to the understanding of human morality, with observations on how people actually behave. He explores how individuals acquire their moral outlook, how they choose to act or not act morally, how moral codes and values evolve over time, and the social function of moral rules. He discusses these issues under the themes of ethical principles and precepts; the evolution of morality, ethics, and law; exchange and reciprocity; and, ethics in the realms of science, medicine, politics, business, and war.

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