HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT?

THINKING, DECIDING, AND PERSUADING

by Cliff Stromberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2026

A wide-ranging guidebook for moral thinking.

As lawyer and legal adviser Stromberg points out in this nonfiction book, humans almost certainly have an innate capacity for morality, but they differ (sometimes drastically) on moral rules. These strictures develop in response to specific local conditions, a dynamic the author likens to the way that proximity to navigable water gives rise to a wide variety of different boat designs. If we focus too much on the variations in human moral structures, Stromberg contends, “we can fail to appreciate the strong cross-cultural patterns of respect for core moral principles.” The author references a large array of ancient texts, philosophical traditions, and various ethicists (the book has extensive endnotes and a generous bibliography) to isolate some of those core principles. He cites ethicists Tom Beauchamp and James Childress, for instance, on the basics of strong moral systems, which include clarity, internal consistency, simplicity, explanatory power, and “output power” (the potential to change a person’s principles). He studies the systems of thinkers such as Kant and Hume and delves into such well-known concepts as utilitarianism (“seeking the greatest good for the greatest number of people”). In a series of densely packed chapters replete with plenty of quotes from the source materials under discussion, Stromberg leads readers through the finer points of half a dozen moral systems. This overview also includes looks at political morality—the author notes, for example, that in the United States’ take on democracy, the system was organized to reject utilitarian principles, affirming individual rights regardless of the collective good (“Even groups hated by the vast majority of people have the right to peaceful protest and speech,” he writes). This discussion of the philosophical underpinnings of historical American society is one of the book’s most engaging sections.

Stromberg is intriguingly direct when examining the broad topic of civil responsibilities, as when he asks, “What does our country have the right to expect of us as the fair price for all our benefits?” He’s likewise very strong on the central tenets of some of the most influential philosophical systems, as when he posits that “a loyal Kantian who wants to follow fixed rules that are moral in all situations would need to fashion a very detailed, complex moral playbook” (adding bluntly, “that is not practical in everyday life”). This cleareyed candor runs throughout the book, transforming what might otherwise have been a series of well-written but arid philosophical musings into something that feels much more like a vital discussion. The author’s skill in using extended hypotheticals and other dramatizing tactics is the saving grace of many of these discussions, particularly when he’s making fine distinctions between, for instance, morality, custom, and strict legality. Stromberg is careful to caution readers that what seem like moral judgments can often be blurred with simple societal norms (quoting Mark Twain: “Laws are sand; Customs are rock”) or even personal preferences. Thanks to the comprehensiveness of this work, readers will find illumination in virtually every chapter, regardless of their previous exposure to this kind of comparative morality. Throughout, Stromberg adopts the persona of a kindly, knowledgeable guide, seeking not just to inform his readers, but also to help them clarify their own moral systems.

An impressively thoughtful and detailed analysis of the ways in which moral structures originate and evolve.

Pub Date: May 12, 2026

ISBN: 9781953943767

Page Count: 392

Publisher: Rivertowns Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2026

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES | PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION | GENERAL NONFICTION