The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

Chapter 5 states that humans’ capacity to evolve is a miracle that defies scientific logic. Because the world is constantly moving toward a state of entropy, or “total disorganization and undifferentiation,” (265) it doesn’t make scientific sense that humans are able to grow. Peck argues that love is the force that fights against entropy and allows for spiritual elevation.

In Chapter 6, Peck argues that although God is the source of love, the concept of God doesn’t have to be limited to the Christian God. Instead, “God” can denote the enlightened state of being that all people are trying to reach. People who do not want to put in the spiritual effort may contend that godhood is unattainable, but those who devote themselves to inner growth can develop more effective ways to experience joy, nurture others, or feel love.

Chapter 7 asserts that growing as a person requires combating laziness and interrogating the world around you. Peck identifies laziness as original sin. He believes that in the biblical stories of the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve committed the original sin when they were too lazy to ask God why they couldn’t eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.