Publisher's Synopsis
Praise for Beyond Revenge
"It is not easy to want to forgive, rather than avenge, a wrong. In this fascinating book, Mike McCullough has delved into the evolution of the mind and discovered the means by which we can do it."
Matt Ridley, author, Nature via Nurture
"Our species´ aggressiveness draws so much attention that we sometimes forget our preference for peace. Having studied human forgiveness, Michael McCullough is in a perfect position to explain its evolution. This book opens our eyes to a much-neglected topic."
Frans de Waal, Candler Professor of Primate Behavior, Emory University; author, Our Inner Ape
"The most important book on forgiveness in the popular literature."
Martin E. P. Seligman, Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania; author, Authentic Happiness
"Fascinating, informative, and thought-provoking, this book will be useful to anyone interested in understanding human behavior or in trying to make the world a better place.
Roy F. Baumeister, Eppes Professor of Psychology, Florida State University; author, The Cultural Animal
"Ranging gracefully across a wide intellectual landscape, McCullough creates a fast-moving detective story of the relationship between violence and forgiveness. Imaginative, precise, and original, Beyond Revenge shows evolutionary psychology at its best. Every Secretary of State should read it."
Richard W. Wrangham, Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology and Wing Chair, Harvard University; author, Demonic Males
"McCullough´s perceptive analysis of forgiveness and revenge shows that evolutionary thinking, far from the caricature of genetic determinism, provides a guide for understanding and improving the human condition."
David Sloan Wilson, professor of biology and anthropology, Binghamton University; author, Evolution for Everyone
"Fascinating, lucid, and important. McCullough gives us new ways to think about revenge and forgiveness. In the process he gives us hope that we, and perhaps our nations and institutions, can work with human nature to improve our relationships."
Jonathan Haidt, associate professor of psychology, University of Virginia; author, The Happiness Hypothesis
