The Story of Our World provides a modern, open-minded perspective on the big questions of life: how we got here, where we're headed, and what we can and should do about it. The purpose of the book is to promote reasonable, practical and healthy beliefs and values that support and strengthen democracy, freedom and personal fulfillment in life, all of which are essential to maintaining peace, balance and rationality in our highly diversified and increasingly integrated global society. In particular, The Story of Our World strongly promotes ethical enlightenment and individual empowerment in the face of the dangerous and enduring legacy of our highly hierarchical and authoritarian cultural heritage. At the same time, the book argues that humble (not too specific or dogmatic) forms of spirituality are entirely rational, and healthy, both for individuals and for our global society as a whole.