Hubris and Atē: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon

Civilizations fall due to complex pressures, but the Book of Mormon points to one sin which assisted if not drove the demise of both the Nephite and Jaredite peoples. This sin was pride. This essay ties pride to the Old World concepts of hubris and atē as a means of revealing the dynamic nature of this sin and exploring its deadly character. It shows that pride leads to hubris, the attempt by individuals and nations to become a law unto themselves, and that the consequence of hubris is atē, a spiritual blindness that impels the individual or society toward its doom. The paper warns the Latter-day Saint about this vice.