Review of 'Beyond revenge: The evolution of the forgiveness instinct'.

Abstract

Reviews the book, "Beyond revenge: the evolution of the forgiveness instinct" by Michael McCullough (2008). This book argues that revenge is not a disease and forgiveness the cure: both revenge and forgiveness are aspects of human nature, instinctual patterns of behavior that are context sensitive, and if we want to make the world a less vengeful, more forgiving place we need to make social environments less abundant in the factors that evoke the desire for revenge and more abundant in the factors that evoke the forgiveness instinct. The author sees forgiveness and revenge as two sides of the same coin, a coupled pair of instincts that have evolved as an evolutionarily stable strategy, a natural byproduct of an evolutionary winnowing process. Hence, the author highlights the key role the environment plays in shaping evolutionarily stable behavioral strategies. Also the relationship between forgiveness and revenge in the context of in-group and out-group classifications becomes clearer in this book. He also draws upon game theory simulations to argue that tit-for-tat strategies of cooperation and retaliation are critical for ensuring inclusive fitness in a group. Thus it is concluded that this book is a balanced approach to scientific analysis of the 'good' and the 'bad' in human nature and how it emerges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)