Seven Deadly Sins: The Biology of Being Human

The seven deadly sins are explored in a new book by Dr Guy Leschziner, a professor of neurology and sleep medicine, which examines their neuroscientific and psychological basis, origin in our genes, and how certain medical disorders give rise to them.
The book reexamines where the boundaries between normal human nature, pathology, and sin are drawn and whether these hard-wired traits truly represent sin or the intensity of our intrinsic desire to survive and thrive.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 21 November 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

The seven deadly sins—gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, envy, lust, and anger—are often seen as moral failings, but are they simply human functions that aid us? Dr. Guy Leschziner, a professor of neurology and sleep medicine, explores the underlying nature of these sins, their neuroscientific and psychological basis, their origin in our genes, and how certain medical disorders give rise to them. He meets individuals whose physical and psychological conditions have given rise to these sins, where brain injury or other experiences have sparked 'immoral actions. He explores how illness can simply expose what lies within us and investigates how the origins of these traits lie in evolutionary imperatives to preserve the wellbeing of the tribe. The book reexamines where the boundaries between normal human nature, pathology, and sin are drawn and whether these hard-wired traits truly represent sin or simply the intensity of our intrinsic desire to survive and thrive.

Weight: 602g
Dimension: 241 x 162 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008615697