What navigates your internal moral compass? Do you subscribe to a religion or belief in supernatural power to guide you? Or do you allow innate love, compassion, and empathy to steer you toward a better earthly experience for all? To examine the moral weight of religious obedience, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two professors about their books that address the virtues of love and morality. Prolific author Dr. Stephen G. Post discusses the virtue of love and unpacks the Eight Pathways of Positive Achievement and Goodness from his book, Give and Live Better. Executive Director of the Humanist Global Charity, Phil Zuckerman explains the virtue of morality and the research behind his book, What it Means to be Moral: Why Religion is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life.

About Lisa’s guests:

Stephen G. Post is a researcher, public speaker, professor, and best-selling author who has taught at the University of Chicago Medical School, Fordham University-Marymount, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Known for his research and public speaking on how giving can enhance the health and happiness of the giver, how empathy and compassionate care contribute to patient outcomes, and ethical issues surrounding the care of dementia patients.

Book: Give and Live Better: Eight Pathways to the Positive Achievement of Goodness

Phil Zuckerman is a Professor of Sociology and Secular Studies at Pitzer College. The author of many books on secularism, he is an Editor at OnlySky and the Executive Director of Humanist Global Charity.

Book: What it Means to be Moral: Why Religion is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life