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 whichseems 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.

From the Hardcover edition.

作者简介

弗朗斯•德瓦尔

荷兰著名的心理学家、动物学家和生态学家，现为美国艾默里大学灵长类动物行为学教授，1993年当选为荷兰皇家艺术与科学院院士，之后相继入选美国国家科学院院士及美国艺术与科学院院士，2007年被美国《时代》周刊选为当今世界具有巨大影响的百位世界文化名人，以及目 前在世的全球最伟大的十几个科学家之一，主要著作有《黑猩猩的政治》、《类人猿与寿司大师》、《灵长类动物如何谋求和平》以及《人类的猿性》等。

译者简介

刘旸

笔名桔子帮小帮主，本科毕业于北京大学，后在芝加哥大学取得细胞生物学博士学位，有译作《永生的海拉》、《迪士尼儿童百科全书：绿色植物》，为《当彩色的声音尝起来是甜的》、《一百种尾巴或一千张叶子》、《冷浪漫》作者之一，科学松鼠会成员，曾担任果壳网科学星探和策划，组织过科学与艺术的跨界活动，目前的工作领域为在线教育和女性健康产品开发。