In September 2020 the US version was published, and Rabbi Sacks included a new Afterword in this US publication in which he examined how this message of morality in the 21st century, guiding its readers on how we can live a more moral life, and show greater care for one another, has gained new significance during the coronavirus pandemic.
My name is Jonathan Sacks and this is my new book, "Morality" subtitled "Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times."
Its argument is simple. We are living though cultural climate change. And just as the other kind of climate change is a threat to the future of life so cultural climate change is a threat to the future of freedom.
It's happened because we've relied on two institutions alone. The market and the state and we've forgotten about the third one which is a shared sense of moral commitment to one another.
The problem is that the market and the state are about competition whereas morality is about cooperation. The market and the state are about the pursuit of self-interest whereas morality is about the common good. The market and the state are about "I" but morality is about "we".
We need to restore that sense of collective responsibility for the sake of justice, freedom, and the good society. We need morality back at the centre of our lives.
