The CODE for Global Ethics

The Code for Global Ethics is a non-fiction book about ethics authored by economist Rodrigue Tremblay and published in English by Prometheus Books of Amherst, N. Y.
In The Code for Global Ethics, Tremblay contends that fanatical religion can lead people to behave immorally and that religion-based ethics is fundamentally flawed. Tremblay identifies six fundamental reasons why this is so:
1- It tends to generate conflicts, as well as create a god-ordered incentive to kill and maim others;
2- it can promote bigotry and exclusion;
3- it establishes a moral dualism between the state and the individual;
4- it promotes anthropomorphism with an erroneous interpretation of man's true place in the Universe;
5- it relies on intimidation and fear through inventions like Hell;
6- and it draws a non-scientific and arbitrary separation between the physiological and intellectual functions of the human body.
In its place, The Code for Global Ethics proposes a code of global ethics that is summarized under 10 general humanist rules or principles. The themes range from human dignity, human life, tolerance, the need to share, and the requirement to avoid domination and superstition, to the preservation of the Earth's natural environment, the issue of violence and wars, the question of political and economic democracy, the separation of Church and State, and the central role of education and knowledge as gateways to personal happiness, independence, and individual freedom. The book is also a critique of many religion-based ethical rules and raises the issue of moral dilemmas. Dr. Paul Kurtz wrote the Preface for The Code for Global Ethics.
Background
Many people still think that it's necessary to be religious to act morally. But experience and evidence seems to show the contrary. Indeed, when a person becomes overly religious, that individual may lose his or her own moral compass. History is replete with examples of mass religious hysteria turning to disaster. Such examples are the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Islamist terrorists, ...etc. Tremblay is of the view that religion is a double-edged sword because it can cut both ways.
Humanists have long contended that morality is a strictly human concern and should be independent of religious creeds and dogma. This principle was clearly articulated in the two Humanist Manifestos issued in the mid-twentieth century and in Humanist Manifesto 2000, which appeared at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The Code for Global Ethics further elaborates on ten basic humanist principles designed for a world community that is growing ever closer.
The book delves into the issues surrounding these ten humanist principles: preserving individual dignity and equality, respecting life and property, tolerance, sharing, preventing domination of others, eliminating superstition, conserving the natural environment, resolving differences cooperatively without resorting to violence or war, political and economic democracy, and providing for universal education.
External links
Official website
* The Code for Global Ethics
Other sites
*Morality without religion
* Le code pour une éthique globale
* Amazon USA
* Amazon Canada

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