The Age Of Empathy

Are
we our brothers’
keepers?

Do we have an instinct for compassion
Or……………………

OR…
Is SURVIVAL the
main concern?

FRANS DE WAAL
A biologist at Emory university
Studies altruistic and social behavior in primates
About the author

A book of revelations
Aiming to overthrow common assumptions!
A book of surprising disclosures
Interspersed with shockers!
Makes one a thinker,
IT IS A TRUE EYE-OPENER!
What this book is all about?

Examine empathy from an
evolutionary perspective.
Challenge the notion
that human society is ONLY
competitive, war-like, selfish,
greedy.
Focus of this book

Common assumption:
Human race THRIVES based
on principles of:
Survival of fittest
Natural selection
Frans de Waal counteracts each one of these by stating that empathy comes naturally to us and we have in turn acquired it from primates.

How many of us have a turtle as a pet?
Or an iguana perhaps???

Why do we prefer cats
and dogs as pets?
This is because these
animals are capable of
having an emotional connection and are capable of feeling.

Bookreport
This extremely well-written book is rich of research, biological observations and anecdotes about primates and other species.
The author builds a strong case to support the thesis that ‘advanced’ emotional and mental processes such as EMPATHY are not unique to humans, but have observable antecedents among numerous other species within the animal kingdom.
MAIN PREMISE: Challenge the simplistic view, based loosely on Darwin, that
society is about "survival of the fittest" and "natural selection".
He stresses that cooperative behavior is necessary for most mammalian animal societies to exist.

The following anecdotes from the book are
some of my favorite and
are a glimpse to provide insight
on the animal kingdom,
their behavior and similar
stories from their brethren- the human race!

Origins of altruism and fairness
Once upon a time,
Two monkeys given hugely different rewards for same task
The one at the shorter end, refused to
perform!
Once upon a time,
Two individuals rejected income as the distribution was unfair !
A
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C
D
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Since any income should beat none, this shows that both animals and
people fail to follow the profit principle to the letter.
Shows natural dislike of injustice.
Protest against unfairness.

We take SOCIAL NETWORKS for granted.
A new climbing structure was built for chimpanzees at a research center.
During the one month that it took to build, the chimps were locked next
to the site, in separate cages and some were in separate buildings too.
There was a huge gathering of people the day the chimps were to be
released and let into the climbing structure. Expectations were galore on which chimp would scale the heights first!

What followed was completely unexpected!
The chimps literally jumped into each others’ arms, kissing and
hugging!
The chimps hardly noticed the new construction, even while
standing under it!
Re-establishing social connections and bonding was a priori here!

The number of long-tailed macaques was once counted on islands
Which had cats ( tigers, leopards), and those that did not.
The monkeys were found traveling in large groups on islands with
cats and travelled in smaller groups on safer islands.
More vulnerable a species, larger its aggregations!
High degree of interdependence.
H
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D
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T

H
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D
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T
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When walking with someone…
...why do we automatically fall in step with them?

H
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D
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Why do we love a Mexican wave?

We oscillate together
at pop concerts!
We take aerobics classes where we all
jump up and down to the same
beat!!
WHY???

WE ARE GROUP ANIMALS TO A TERRIFYING DEGREE!
The human herd instinct beats that of some animals also!!

Animals develop trust relationships
Readily, even between species.
T
R
U
S
T
In an old-fashioned zoo, a monkey and
hippopotamus were kept n the same
enclosure.
Part of daily routine was the monkey
approaching the hippo after the latter
had finished a meal of cucumbers.
The monkey would tap the hippo’s
mouth, which would open wide.
The monkey would then lean in and
Pull food remains from the hippo’s teeth,
Eating whatever he pulled out.
Such stories are abundant and countless!

In Denmark, it is common practice for mothers to leave their babies on strollers unattended outside stores!!!
“Where would one go with an abducted child?”,they ask.
“Wouldn’t everyone ask where the child came from?”
T
R
U
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T

T
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T
I guess it’s no wonder that the Danes
have the lowest crime rate in the world!
world’s highest happiness score!
The faith that Danes unthinkingly place in one another is called
“social capital”
- maybe the most precious capital there is!

Ask anyone why we (the human race) are the way we are?
And pat comes the reply-
“Oh, that’s the way it has been for ages!”
“It’s in our genes”
“If I am selfish and competitive, blame the ancestors! They were the ones who taught us to fight for survival!"

Animals are peacemakers,
Not aggressive
Not competitors
NOT fighting for survival!!!
There is an ‘empathetic’ and ‘sympathetic’ side to them too!

De Waal studies apes and monkeys, specifically, how emotionally ‘developed’ they are,
and how ‘EMPATHY’ could evolve in a species.
The author shows human emotion to be a bottom-up process and that our advanced ethical reasoning is built up from structures and behaviors that we use that are found throughout the animal kingdom.
Book Report Contd.

He clearly shows all the ways animals and humans, are inheritors of a peaceful and cooperative genetic legacy that is the polar opposite of the
"dog eat dog" mentality
which is the misconception that human evolutionary biology has helped create in our culture.
Book Report Contd...

How can one explain
Bengal tigers that nurse piglets,
Bonoboapes that help wounded birds to fly, Seals that rescue drowning dogs?
OR
Who would expect that a rhesus monkey will forgo the opportunity for food if pulling the chain that delivers it will electrically shock a companion?
Book Report Contd...

B
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The anecdotes I have mentioned are but a few of the kaleidoscope of experiences that de Waal has seen and observed/been a part of.
Too many people invoke "evolution" to justify treating each other in contemptuous ways.
The human race today is essentially thought of as selfish, greedy, etc.
Is this true? I don’t think so. Empathy is something we have gained from our ancestors.

B
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Something we must treasure and which is age old.
Then where has this empathy disappeared?
In the entire book, I learnt about so many species and their ways, there was something common amongst all of them—
Not a single species tries to torture/wipe out its own kind!

I think the human race, the so called most evolved race is the only one to do so!
It’s time we learnt a lesson from our forbears take this lesson in civility to heart.
Before attaining the peaks of civilization,
one must pay attention to the foothills.
The peaks may glimmer in the sun, but it is the foothills that will take us to them.

Through a better understanding
of empathy's survival value in evolution,
we can work together
towards a more just society
based on a more
generous and accurate
view of human nature.

This book has had a huge influence on the way I think–
Every behavior of mine- I stop to question and think from
where it may have originated?
It has made me more curious and leaves me wanting
more answers!
I will also now try to be more empathetic towards everyone I
come across, keeping in mind the legacy I am now a part of!

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The Age Of Empathy

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