Particularize Books Supposing The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society
| Original Title: | The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society |
| ISBN: | 0307407764 (ISBN13: 9780307407764) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Frans de Waal
Hardcover | Pages: 304 pages Rating: 3.98 | 1866 Users | 165 Reviews
Declare Appertaining To Books The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society
| Title | : | The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society |
| Author | : | Frans de Waal |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 304 pages |
| Published | : | September 22nd 2009 by Crown (first published January 1st 2009) |
| Categories | : | Science. Nonfiction. Psychology. Animals. Sociology. Philosophy. Anthropology |
Chronicle In Pursuance Of Books The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society
"An important and timely message about the biological roots of human kindness."—Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Ape
Are we our brothers' keepers? Do we have an instinct for compassion? Or are we, as is often assumed, only on earth to serve our own survival and interests? In this thought-provoking book, the acclaimed author of Our Inner Ape examines how empathy comes naturally to a great variety of animals, including humans.
By studying social behaviors in animals, such as bonding, the herd instinct, the forming of trusting alliances, expressions of consolation, and conflict resolution, Frans de Waal demonstrates that animals–and humans–are "preprogrammed to reach out." He has found that chimpanzees care for mates that are wounded by leopards, elephants offer "reassuring rumbles" to youngsters in distress, and dolphins support sick companions near the water's surface to prevent them from drowning. From day one humans have innate sensitivities to faces, bodies, and voices; we've been designed to feel for one another.
De Waal's theory runs counter to the assumption that humans are inherently selfish, which can be seen in the fields of politics, law, and finance, and which seems to be evidenced by the current greed-driven stock market collapse. But he cites the public's outrage at the U.S. government's lack of empathy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a significant shift in perspective–one that helped Barack Obama become elected and ushered in what may well become an Age of Empathy. Through a better understanding of empathy's survival value in evolution, de Waal suggests, we can work together toward a more just society based on a more generous and accurate view of human nature.
Written in layman's prose with a wealth of anecdotes, wry humor, and incisive intelligence, The Age of Empathy is essential reading for our embattled times.
Rating Appertaining To Books The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society
Ratings: 3.98 From 1866 Users | 165 ReviewsAssessment Appertaining To Books The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society
Frans de Waal and Tanja Singer - The book "The Age of Empathy" is a light in the dark - there is no justification treating another living creature in contemptuous ways. Tanja Singer proves that empathy can be trained and learned and become part of our thinking and acting. We do not need to treat others badly to have personal gain. A very worthwhile thought, giving us hope that there is indeed a way to improve ourselves and make life more peaceful.I read this for our "science book club" meeting, and we all agreed that this book was not up to snuff. It was like they sat the author down in a comfy chair and said "Just start talking, we'll put your ramblings together into a book." There was not structure or framework to the book -- no overriding thesis (other than maybe "empathy is good, chimps have empathy, people should be more empathetic" -- so it was difficult to pull apart and analyze his arguments. He doesn't present enough scientific
I first read Our Inner Ape, then went out and bought The Ape and The Sushi Master plus this book, because I loved the author and the subject matter so much.So this review is going to be a general review of all the Frans de Waal books listed above,also it's been a while since I read them and my copies are loaned or given away.Fascinating. Informative. I learned a great deal about Bonobos, humanoid psychology & evolution, and what behaviors are learned versus inborn.The best part is these
Indeed it is extraordinary how the horses and sled-dogs cooperate with each other and act in unison drawing the carriage or the sled at breakneck speeds, on cross-country pathways! Especially the blind-husky, Isobel who ran the lead tandem?! In Dutch bicycle-culture, it is very common for boys to offer girls a ride, because the girls have to hold on tight, and also lean with the rider says, Dr. Frans de Waal, who is a Dutchman himself, who continues, "On motorcycles this is even more critical.
Chimps have it. Elephants have it. Wolves have it. De Waal suggests the reason we dont recognize that empathy imbues at least the mammalian world is because of the Western worlds religious insistence that humans are outside of nature. He reports that when Queen Victoria first saw apes, she called them frightful, and painfully and disagreeably human. (207). Lot lurking in that queenly observation. De Waal believes that empathy is a part of a heritage as ancient as the mammalian line. Empathy
After the Xmas 06 tsunami, European psychologists flocked to the sites in an attempt to help survivors with their PTSD.They discovered that talking with afflicted people one-on-one was in fact INCREASING their stress, further isolating them from their social responsibility.They eventually realized they had to treat villages as a whole as the social unit, facilitating their taking care of each other, rather than helping individuals.Because we forgot that our happiness is heavily dependent on that
What does it say about us that the primatologist is more enlightening on the human condition than pretty much anyone else?
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