As human beings, we would like to evolve further as intelligent and sentient beings. We would like to leave behind behavior that connects us to our animalistic past. We would also like to think that as our scientific endeavors develop further and we discover new ways to better ourselves — both mentally and physically — we distance ourselves from monstrous and uncivilized acts like pedophilia.

Evidently though, some miscreants in our midst would like to stay in their caves and be the animals we once were. Amazon, one of the most admired and respected companies in the world, put a book on sale that aims to reduce the social stigma of child abusers, titled “Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure.” It seems they have lost their marbles.

I could not comprehend what prompted Amazon to make such an unacceptable decision to earn that extra bit of money. Perhaps it was the pressure of the economy. Perhaps they are in big financial trouble or they no longer want to be admired and respected. Alright, maybe I am over-exaggerating a little bit. The author of the book, Phillip R. Greaves II is not though.

I discovered this when he mentioned in a phone interview to CNN.com, “True pedophiles love children and would never hurt them,” and “Penetration is out. You can’t do that with a child, but kissing and fondling I don’t think is that big of a problem.” Without a doubt, this is some sort of sick joke by a man looking for attention.

Not only is this man not pulling a sick fast one, he is absolutely to his core in favor of pedophilia. Of course, after the initial flare-up, I calmed down and tried to analyze what he was saying. In our current society’s norms and customs, we do not allow or accept acts of pedophilia.

In fact, not only do we condemn such heinous acts, but they are against the law as well — a law Amazon apparently is oblivious to, or perhaps they are just confused about what is legally acceptable in our free, fair and liberal society.

Of course, it was expected that Amazon would not immediately respond to calls for a comment. First their management needed to form a strategy for handling this potentially explosive and expensive situation. When a reader E-mailed Amazon with a query, customer service responded with the half-wit remark, “Let me assure you that Amazon.com does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”

Clearly, their whole management is already getting drunk in anticipation of the oncoming holiday season’s profits.

Amazon claims they do not promote criminal activities, but their lack of ability to discern the obvious illegality of pedophilia says otherwise.

Pedophilia of any kind is not acceptable in our society. It leads to psychiatric problems in children and adolescents. The act itself is against the law, which applies equally to everyone — whether an individual or a multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Exploitation of children is undoubtedly a black spot hindering our progress toward bettering ourselves. It works against the whole fabric of society and the culture we live in.