In the third century BC, Afghanistan was part of a peaceful, multi-ethnic and multicultural empire ruled by the Indian emperor Ashoka, who led with the values of tolerance, nonviolence, and respect for all life. In this reprint from 2008, Rich, an author and attorney, explores the contemporary significance of the Indian emperor's philosophy and politics, contending that he provides a unique example of a world ruler who tried to practice the secular ethic of nonviolence and reverence for life, which carries significance for global ethics today. Rich relates stories about Ashoka's bloody battles and his eventual repentance and conversion to Buddhism, his adoption of a new secular ethic called Dhamma or the "law of piety," and how it reshaped the way he governed. His edicts about religious tolerance, land conservation, domestic and foreign nonviolence, renunciation of war, protection of all species, and human rights were carved into stones and pillars, some of which were found by an archaeologist in 1957. He also discusses Kautilya, chief minister of Ashoka's grandfather, who wrote the world's first treatise on political economy, the Arthasastra, which recommends the accumulation of material riches and amoral realpolitik as a political approach, one that Ashoka tried to transcend. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)