THE AGE OF EMPATHY: Morals without God

For more about "The Age of Empathy" by Frans de Waal, check this link for the review in the October Scientific American:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=recommended-the-age-of-empathy

Also look at this blog of de Waal's:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frans-de-waal/morals-without-god_b_316473.html

This series of informal time that Frans de Waal and Dawkins spent together during the filming of the documentary The Genius of Charles Darwin is interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hSYTe2AwJQ

In "The Age of Empathy: Nature Lessons for a Kinder Society," De Waal speaks in depth about the debate that is on-going between both him and Richard Dawkins.

In 2007, Time magazine selected Frans de Waal as one of the World's 100 Most Influential People.

[SORRY ABOUT THE BAD QUALITY OF THIS VIDEO. MY REGULAR COMPUTER IS BEING DEBUGGED, AND I HAD TO MAKE THIS ON A COMPUTER WHICH DATES FROM 1912....BUT I WANTED TO GET IT UP...SO HERE IT IS. THANKS FOR WATCHING ANYWAY.]

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• evolution
• Darwin
• social
• Darwinism
• Frans
• de
• Waal
• empathy
• Christianity
• morality
• evolutionary
• ethics
• Scientific
• American

[tehinfidel]

Thanks for posting this as a video response to my monkey cooperation video; very relevant and Frans de Waal is a true giant in ethology.

This very book has been on my to-read list for some time, but I didn't realize it had already come out; thanks for the heads up! :-)

[2bsirius]

Thanks for accepting the add. You video reminded me of de Waal's work....

[Tophet7]

In many primate species, the tendency toward social or group harmony is demonstrably stronger among the female members of the species. The males, likely due to hormonal differences, tend to be more concerned with status within their social group than females, but not to the exclusion of displays of empathy (while less consistent, males can be altruistic). I saw one nature program where female monkeys shunned, then assaulted, an abusive male whose aggression had gone too far. He lost leadership.

[2bsirius]

De Waal makes many of the same points in the book. He points out that the alpha male is often the one who offers empathic responses...

[TWITfromURANUS]

"Can human beings show REAL empathy?"

As opposed to what? Fake empathy?

Of course. We're social animals ...

lol. nice thinkings anywaze

[maybe before we decide what is selfish we must decide what is self.]

[2bsirius]

By REAL empathy I was trying to point out that some social Darwinists claim that empathy and altruism are just disguised selfishness...Yet the deepest motivation for empathy might not matter as much as we think. In the long run it feels good to do good...So does that make doing good invalid? No...

Your point about deciding what the self IS-- Yes, I agree that is most important question we need to TRY to understand!

[julzabro]

Interesting. Thanx!

[Hufflewaffle]

The consequence of human consciousness is the inevitable placement of a moral order upon nature. Life is completely amoral in this sense, but measured up against our human experience it is selfish, voracious, cannibalistic etc. Our predicament is to reconcile our experience of these things with the knowledge that we are a part of it. This is why the emergence of mythology was coincidental with the emergence of human consciousness. The subject was explored ages ago. Read Joseph Campbell.

[nVei06]

evil jews. yes, genes can be selfish. This is jews trying to prove selfish dishonest jewishness is a superior and noble quality. magnats can be selfish, skies can be blue and rivers can be angry.

[conferencereport]

Good reference 2b, thanks for drawing our attention to this.  I've just ordered the audio version for those long Cheshire/Devon drives.

[GrinningSandCat]

Saw a documentary on this topic. It was interesting. 70,000 years ago there were about 20,000 humans. They all lived in Africa, scattered in small groups across the continent. To cooporate was necessary to survive because there were not many people. Imagine a huge war with so few.

It seems war and conflicts came later when the population grew.

[Israe5l]

I was talking with a group of people. And we were talking about the justification of torture. I argued that there may be a justification of torture if, say, we can avoid a nuclear holocaust. We will torture someone to get info to avoid the bomb (or any other weapon of mass destruction).

It seems stright forward. One against millions of people. But what is at issue is the philosophy of individualism. Never to harm a individual in principle. (principle!)

[PeeGeeBeeDee]

No, it was PBS.

[PeeGeeBeeDee]

Great Point. Don't Get 2 Pieced.