Many of us might remember the title of a popular book based on an age-old question, Why do bad things happen to good people? An equally important question might be, Why are bad things done by good people? It’s a puzzling question that has been tackled by evolutionary science and psychology as mapped out in Richard Wrangham’s book “The Goodness Paradox” (suggested but not required), as well as by nearly every religious tradition, resulting in a number of interesting viewpoints. We will explore some of those viewpoints and perhaps in doing so we just might gain some insight into this age-old problem, and perhaps in the process some idea as to how we can live out this paradox in favor of the nice over the nasty in our own lives and times!

CLASS LEADERS:   PAUL DOHERTY and STEVE PIKER

STEVE PIKER is an anthropologist with fieldwork in Thailand and the US. He has spent 44 years at Swarthmore College and has offerred many courses at four of Maine senior colleges. His career long interests are human evolution and religion. 

Paul Doherty is an armchair theologian with experience in music, broadcasting, and ministry. He has also been teaching for several years at two Maine senior colleges, including South Coast.