Jerry A. Coyne is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at The University of Chicago. His latest book is Why Evolution is True, and his website is www.whyevolutionistrue.com. In this article, the long standing question of the origins of morality are considered from two different perspectives. The first one taking basis in religion - that morality is God's gift to man, and the second one in science and rationality - that morality is an outcome of evolution and secular reasoning. He rightly argues that a conception of morality that assumes a God behind each of those "rules" is not healthy to our society. As Einstein and many others have pointed out, building a society based on social ties, responsibilities, education and empathy is far more humane than on dogmas that assume goodness as being dictated by a superpower.
