Where did our moral beliefs come from? While theologians and scientists offer different and often conflicting answers, this groundbreaking book offers a new multidiscplinary approach, drawing on psychology, philosophy, evolutionary biology and social anthropology to explore the historical origins of our moral codes. In our rapidly changing and increasingly complex modern world, we are bombarded with the moral challenges raised by issues such as genetic modification, increasing consumerism and globalisation. Robert A. Hinde argues that an understanding of morality's origins can clarify the debates surrounding these contemporary ethical dilemmas. He focuses on the interplay between individuals and the cultures in which they live, in order to demonstrate that moral beliefs depend on the interactions within a society, which shape and are also influenced by the values and norms of the society's structure. On this view of morality, moral codes are neither carved in stone nor freely unconstrained: the changing of moral precepts over time reflects a continuing dialectic between what people do and what they are supposed to do. The author's well-chosen examples and helpful summaries make this book accessible to anyone interested in contemporary or historical ethics, in addition to students and professionals.