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The Compassionate Instinct: The Science Of Human Goodness (2010)

by Dacher Keltner(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393337286 (ISBN13: 9780393337280)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: I feel very lucky to be exposed to the ideas I found in this book. It's nothing less than a scientific examination of altruism, heroism and human virtue. None of the ideas are new –– if you've read The Lord of the Rings, you know them by heart already –– but what is new is the authors' exacting search for the scientific basis of these behaviors. In doing so, the authors form coherent arguments to contradict many of the cynical assumptions about the human nature, from the effectiveness of Machiavellism to the pervasiveness of the bystander effect, and renew one's hope in humanity. Do yourself a favor and pick it up for someone you love. It's probably the best book of essays I read this year.
review 2: For me, this book had two distinct parts. The first ... more(corresponding to the official first part of the book) was a more academic approach to the topic of compassion, with a discussion of research in both humans and primates that is relevant in some way to the concept of compassion in humans. I really enjoyed that part of the book, as it was interesting and surprising, and I think it was genuinely informative.The second part (corresponding to the official second and third parts of the book) was less scientific, with more personal stories of ideas related to compassion. The theme was cultivating goodness. There were some interviews of various people. It felt a little hollow and "feel-good-y" to me. Much of what was talked about just seemed impractical to me. But that's just me. less

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