Original Sin

Another recent read was Alan Jacobs' Original Sin. It's a splendidly engaging history (and defense) of the notion of original sin and its detractors. I thought one of the most perceptive observations came in the book's concluding paragraphs:

If there is a proper response, a truly wise response, to the narrative of this book, it surely begins with the recognition that if everyone is bad to the bone -- if all of us strut and fret our hour upon the stage, filled with the consciousness of our injured merit, fairly glowing with self-praise -- then our condition is, first and above all else, comical.