The brighter side of human nature : altruism and empathy in everyday life

Drawing from hundreds of studies in half a dozen fields, "The Brighter Side of Human Nature" makes a powerful case that caring and generosity are just as natural as selfishness and aggression. This lively refutation of cynical assumptions about our species considers the nature of empathy and the causes of war, why we (incorrectly) explain all behavior in terms of self-interest, and how we can teach children to care.

drawing From Hundreds Of Studies In Half A Dozen Fields, The Brighter Side Of Human Nature Makes A Powerful Case That Caring And Generosity Are Just As Natural As Selfishness And Aggression. This Live

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``there Is A Widespread Belief That Our Darker Side Is More Pervasive, More Persistent, And Somehow More Real Than Our Other Facets,'' Writes Kohn ( No Contest: The Case Against Competition ), Before Going On To Argue Vehemently That Human Life Isn't The Nasty, Brutish Thing It's Been Cracked Up To Be Since The Days Of Thomas Hobbes. The Author Builds His Pro-people Case In A Well-reasoned Manner. Starting From The Premise That The Power Of ``nature'' Is Nowadays Given Undue Weight Over That Of ``nurture,'' He Contends That Character Can Indeed Be Influenced For The Better. Kohn Explores The Concepts Of Empathy And Altruism, Pointing Out That Humans Are The Only Animals Who Can Choose To Look At The World From Another Being's Perspective, And He Also Discusses The Thornier Issues Of Violence And Aggression. The Book Concludes By Detailing A Morality Of Caring That Precludes Western Emphasis On Competition And Rugged Individualism. This Is A Subtle, Many-layered Effort, Making A Succession Of Provocative, Well-considered Points. Kohn's Style Is Academic And Often Dense, But Persevering Readers Will Be Rewarded. (may)

This is the story of the hidden world of bird-breeding, of contentious ideas in 1920s Germany, and of two amateur scientists who unwittingly managed to be decades ahead of their time. The Red Canary was the first organism to be manipulated by genetic technology, back in the 1920s. Questions the widely held assumption that human beings are selfish and aggressive by nature and presents knowledge gained in the last twenty years about the socialization practices and experiences that shape caring, helpful, and altruistic persons Chronicles how a green bird discovered by Spanish explorers was bred to have yellow feathers, and how amateur scientists Duncker and Reich started genetic engineering on the way to producing a red canary. Consider this curious set of facts about our culture: Someone who thinks well of himself is said to have a healthy self-concept and is envied.