The Moral Sense Author:James Q. Wilson Every day we see and hear compelling evidence of human immorality, as images of assault and murder, child abuse, dishonesty, corruption, exploitation, and every imaginable criminal offense fill the news. This gloomy portrait of humanity is reinforced by the pronouncements of philosophers, psychologists, economists, political scientists, and othe... more »r experts who constantly remind us that human nature is selfish, greedy, cruel and irredeemably neurotic. But James Q. Wilson notes a crucial paradox: While we publicly describe ourselves as though we had no moral nature, we continue to employ a moral standard in judging others and ourselves, and act accordingly. The shocking stories we hear about each day are news only because they outrage and offend our moral instincts and are flaring violations of our mutual expectations. The paradox thus lies in our persisting in such judgments while being unable to explain or understand them, having jettisoned the language of morality and virtue.« less