By the Grace of Guile

Loyal D. Rue is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Luther College, Iowa.

"Deception is inherently intriguing. Loyal Rue convinces us that deception is also a major dynamic in history, in biological evolution, and in the development of personality and social coherence. Written with wisdom, grace, and extraordinary skill, this important book deepens our understanding of who we are and where we are going."--Ursula Goodenough, author of Genetics"This book tackles the fundamental question of how we form views of reality, and leaves the reader with a recurring insight: Our theories of reality are exquisitely flawed and yet eminently workable. I agree with the author that we are in search of a grand myth that will give order and meaning to our collective lives as citizens on this planet. This book should be on the shelves of individuals and libraries alike. Anyone who seriously entertains questions aboutthat which we as a species must agree upon in order to insure our survival will be reaching for this book many times."--C.R. Snyder, editor of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology"A highly original and important perspective on the uses of deception in human evolution, Loyal Rue's new book is written with authority and style--enjoyable to read, stimulating to recall."--Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi, author of The Evolving Self: A Psychology for the Third Millennium