Richard Garner grew up in Cleveland and attended Ohio University and Penn State. He received his PhD from the University of Michigan. He was hired by The Ohio State University in 1963, and taught briefly as a visitor at other universities. His interest in Asian philosophy led him to spend some time at the Zen Center in San Francisco. When he returned to Ohio State, he began sitting in on Chinese classes. After four years of that he was offered the opportunity to teach English at Bejing University in the summer of 1980 (just four years after the death of Mao). Upon returning to Ohio, he spent the next ten years working on the manuscript for Beyond Morality, which was published by Temple University Press in 1994. He also wrote several articles in various fields. After retiring in 1995, Garner was offered an adjunct job teaching Asian Philosophy and Ethics at Rutgers University in 2000.

"Morality and religion have failed because they are based on duplicity and fantasy. We need something new." This bold statement is the driving force behind Richard Garner's Beyond Morality. In his book, Garner presents an insightful defense of moral error theory-the idea that our moral thought and discourse is systemically flawed. Establishing his argument with a discerning survey of historical and contemporary moral beliefs from around the world, Garner critically evaluates the plausibility of these beliefs and ultimately finds them wanting. In response, Garner suggests that humanity must "get beyond morality" by rejecting traditional language and thought about good and bad, right and wrong. He encourages readers to adhere to an alternative system of thought: "informed, compassionate amoralism," a blend of compassion, non-duplicity, and clarity of language that Garner believes will nurture our capability for tolerance, creation, and cooperation. By abandoning illusion and learning to listen to others and ourselves, Garner insists that society can and will find harmony.

Richard Garner's, Beyond Morality delves deep into the thoughts and codes that inform the actions of humanity and offers a solution to the embedded error of these forces. An essential text for students of philosophy, Beyond Morality provides a groundwork for improving human action and relationships