author of the bestselling books War, The Perfect Storm and Tribe
"It's been a long time since a book has stunned me like this one has."
"Hector A. Garcia has written a brilliant, courageous, and vitally important book about the widespread belief in a single, all-powerful god. Specifically, he has traced that belief to--brace yourselves--our primate origins. Given the fact that religious differences underlie almost all of the world's bloody conflicts, this might be one of the most important topics anyone could tackle. Garcia's research is impeccable, his thesis is staggeringly original, and he writes with breathtaking clarity and insight. It's been a long time since a book has stunned me like this one has."
RICHARD SOSIS
Professor of Humanistic Anthropology, University of Connecticut; cofounder and coeditor of Religion, Brain & Behavior
"Garcia offers an abundance of intriguing ideas that will keep researchers busy for years to come."
"Alpha God is ambitious, provocative, and eminently engaging. Garcia proposes a novel Darwinian hypothesis on a topic—religious violence—that is central to our times. While the details will be disturbing to many, religious violence is an area of inquiry that cannot be ignored, and Garcia offers an abundance of intriguing ideas that will keep researchers busy for years to come."
DARIO MAESTRIPIERI
author of Macachiavellian Intelligence and Games Primates Play
"Groundbreaking and eye-opening evolutionary analysis of human religion."
"Original, bold, and beautifully written, Alpha God offers a groundbreaking and eye-opening evolutionary analysis of human religion, explaining not only why religion exists but also why it is the way it is. Armed with broad knowledge of the history, principles, and scriptures of human religions and a deep understanding of evolutionary psychology and nonhuman primate behavior, Hector A. Garcia convincingly argues that religion is built on—and takes advantage of—human (and especially men’s) evolved psychology, particularly our obsession with dominance/submission and sex.”