On the Square Today

Mark Misulia reviews Jesse Bering’s The Belief Instinct :

Bering argues that our proto-human ancestors were unselfconsciously “impulsive, hedonistic, and uninhibited.” But sooner or later humans recognized that they were capable of and subject to judgment. In time, the reproductive success of humans incapable of regulating their behavior dwindled, resulting in reproductive privileges for those with self-control. Here Bering stakes his claim: Those with maximum self-control were those who believed they were always being watched by a supernatural entity. The conclusion: Judgment coupled with the imperative to reproduce resulted in human beings naturally disposed to religious belief. God is, as one playful reviewer put it, that inhibitor than which none greater can be conceived.

Also today, Andreas Widmer asks, “Can business can save your soul?” :

There is a simple truth about business: individuals, not “the organization” or “the law,” make the moral decisions behind each and every action a business takes. In a piece just released by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, this vital point is highlighted: the unequivocal responsibility of the individual within the business context is at the center of every major business crisis and success we’ve experienced from the Wall Street mortgage meltdowns and the lingering echoes of Enron to inspiring entrepreneurs starting companies that cure cancer and bring essential services to poor families.