The Third Basic Instinct: How Religion Doesn't Get You [Paperback]

Alex S. Key (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2008

The Third Basic Instinct is a thought-provoking look at the conflict between organized religion and human nature. In addition to the basic animal instincts to survive and to reproduce, humans possess a crucial third instinct, which has been a force for scientific discovery, innovation, and emotional intelligence. Without it, humans would not have evolved so far beyond other mammals. Unfortunately, a grave threat to this fundamental asset is organized religion, which restricts human potential and emotional evolution with outdated teachings. Combining news, science, humor, and history, The Third Basic Instinct offers a journey into the importance of personal belief systems. Readable for ages twelve and up, and covering topics such as women's rights, addiction, morality, and the origin of gods, The Third Basic Instinct avoids raging about the dismantling of religion, but instead renders science the greatest belief system of all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Engaging, enthusiastic, and leads readers on a penetrating pilgrimage. The author's conversational writing style coupled with honesty and humor, make his points come across in a non-threatening way. Using true-life accounts to state his case, the text is fascinating and will definitely give every reader something to think about. As the pages turn, and his theories are more clearly laid out, controversial topics are introduced and explained in context. His unique ideas about women's rights, morality, and even the origin of sports will cause eyes to open wider. Although the author is clear on why he holds to a certain set of beliefs, it's apparent that he will alienate some readers. Read The Third Basic Instinct with your fists closed or with hands clapping in applause. This book definitely offers a compelling look at personal belief systems and their potential to impact the entire human race. --In the Library Reviews, November 17, 2008

About the Author

Alex S. Key was born in Liverpool, England, and studied at the University of Manchester. He wrote The Third Basic Instinct after researching belief systems around the world—while using the latest understanding of the human emotional system—and intensified his work following the September 11th attacks. He currently lives in Manhattan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419654748
• ISBN-13: 978-1419654749
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alex S. Key was born in Liverpool, England, and studied at the University of Manchester. He wrote The Third Basic Instinct after researching belief systems around the world--while using the latest understanding of the mind--and intensified his work following the September 11th attacks. He currently lives in Manhattan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and Excellent Discourse on the Subject, January 8, 2009

By 

Gary Dale Cearley "Gary Dale Cearley" (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Third Basic Instinct: How Religion Doesn't Get You (Paperback)

I had an affinity with this book. Alex S. Key has done his homework. His book, The Third Basic Instinct, has a very powerful message delivered in a very straightforward way, citing examples from history, philosophy, popular culture, and direct sources from the Bible, Quran, etc. I found the book fascinating in that the author tackled religious farce on so many different levels but always starting from a basic point: Our third basic instinct. To Key, it is this third instinct that created religion, to explain the unknowns in the world around us.

Another very interesting part of this book was Key's description of what he called the "Platinum Rule", as opposed to the Golden Rule that people all over the world have been raised to know (do unto others as you would have them do unto you). In Key's Platinum Rule, selfishness, in a long-term perspective, is actually a virtue as the benefits are in the future and tend to have positive effects on society. This is in direct opposition to short-term and short-sighted selfishness which benefits the few.

The Third Basic Instinct is quite an eye-opening book, even for guys like me who have read several similar books before. The fact that Key has used so many varied sources has served the author well to keep the book interesting--and an interesting read in my opinion tends to be a light read, no matter how heavy or serious the subject of the book is. I believe that this book has the potential to serve as a base for Key to become one of our rising stars in social commentary. I am really interested to see what he comes up with next!

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important book., September 13, 2008

By 

Nurse Natalie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Basic Instinct: How Religion Doesn't Get You (Paperback)

As a woman watching the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, I was
reminded of the importance of books like Alex S. Key's " The Third Basic Instinct."
During the Saudi, Afghan, and United Arab Emirates' procession of athletes, we all heard Matt Lauer and Bob Costas discuss the fact that these countries do not allow women to play sports or compete. In many countries women are not even allowed to travel without a chaperone, ride a bike or drive a car. This book does a great job of highlighting the dangers of religious conformism, but it does so much more. It provides a new awareness of how the mind works and can actually educate people - and you don't have to have a PHD to read it. Living in the US were religious conformism is gaining a new foothold, I hope that more people will read this book to preserve our lifestyle of human rights and tolerance - and for some parts of the world, perhaps one day provide it for the
first time.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In-Depth Review, September 1, 2008

By 

DND (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Basic Instinct: How Religion Doesn't Get You (Revised Edition) (Paperback)

This book is in four parts, each like individual books with their own sub-sections.

Part One: Why Basic Instincts. (5/5) In this part, Key uses the three basic instincts to create a framework to understand the mind and religion. His dramatic real-world examples keep the dialogue riveting. He reveals the third basic instinct, showing how it is not only behind some of our greatest achievements, but also behind man's unique evolution.

Part Two: The Origin of Gods. (5/5) In this part, the author uses the third basic instinct to show how religion began. He again uses dramatic and sometimes stunning true stories to convince us, taking us as far back as pre-historic times, ancient Egypt, the American Revolution, and many other places.

Part Three: Selfish Morality. (4/5) He creates a rule called the "platinum rule", to improve upon the "golden rule", showing how accepted models of moral behavior fall under the platinum rule. He shows how religion can occasionally go against true moral behavior, remaining balanced between Islam, Christianity and Judaism, while positive role models like Warren Buffet, Mark Twain and others provide an optimistic tone.

Part Four: Unnatural Selection. (5/5) Examines the origin of jihad, honor crimes against women, and other cultural horrors--and their impact on human evolution today. The science is edgier as Key puts forward a shocking theory on how sports originated and how oil affects evolution. The book ends on a dramatic and optimistic note, but it is a conditional optimism.

Key succeeds in educating while entertaining, using basic instincts to tie everything together. Its ambitious goal is to provide a framework to understand the mind and religion. I believe it accomplishes this, while using humor along the way. Ranks among the upper echelons of secular popular science books, and one of the easiest books in its class to read.