What is wrong with me? This question has haunted the West for fifteen hundred years, but until recently it came with an answer which was called original sin. Western people believed they were born bad” because they had inherited the sin of the first humans.” James Boyce According to the doctrine of original sin, humans are born inherently bad, and only God's grace can bring salvation. In this captivating and controversial book, acclaimed historian James Boyce explores how this centuries-old concept has shaped the Western view of human nature right up to the present. Boyce traces a history of original sin from Adam and Eve, St Augustine and Martin Luther to Adam Smith, Sigmund Freud and Richard Dawkins, and explores how each contributed to shaping our conception of "original sin." Despite the marked decline in church attendance in recent years, Boyce argues that these religious ideas of morality still very much underpin our modern secular society, despite our often being unaware of their origins. If today the specific doctrine has all but disappeared (even from the churches), what remains is the distinctive discontent of Western people--the feelings of guilt and inadequacy associated not with doing wrong, but with being wrong. In addition to offering an innovative history of Christianity, Boyce offers new insights into the creation of the West. Born Bad traces a fascinating journey from the very beginning of Biblical history down through the present day in this sweeping story of a controversial idea and the remarkable influence.