The Seven Deadly Sins

All of us are engaged in a personal ongoing battle with sin and vice. The seven deadly sins - lust greed envy anger pride gluttony and sloth - are our main antagonists in this struggle. They are primary causes of unhappiness and immorality and because of their pervasive nature have been of perennial interest to religious thinkers philosophers dramatists and poets. In The Seven Deadly Sins Solomon Schimmel explains why psychology must incorporate many of the ethical and spiritual values of religion and moral philosophy if it is to effectively address the emotional problems faced by modern men and women be they believers or agnostics. Drawing on the psychological insights of the Bible Aristotle Maimonides Aquinas and Shakespeare among others he shows how all of us can learn from them about the relationship between virtue and psychological well-being and vice and emotional distress. This insightful and fascinating work guides us to master our passions rather than be enslaved by them so that we can become more humane and build a happier caring society.