Robert Wright: The evolution of compassion

Robert Wright uses evolutionary biology and game theory to explain why we appreciate the Golden Rule ("Do unto others..."), why we sometimes ignore it and why there’s hope that, in the near future, we might all have the compassion to follow it.
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[@solitudespeaks7927]

People can get really disillusioned when evolutionary biologists reduce our motivations to evolutionary explanations. For example, the idea that compassion is supposed to help you propagate your genes and those of your kin & the idea that compassion is self-interested on a biological level would SEEM to shatter our religious hope for universal compassion. But in reality, it helps us better understand what is required for universal compassion.

[@AnimeshSharma1977]

Thanks for this "not so warm and fuzzy" talk on compassion and simple presentation of ideas like kin-selection, reciprocal-altruism and exclusion to the golden-rule... culminating in a non-zero sum game, does expand the "moral imagination" :)

[@nomadicam]

one of the most under appreciated but best Ted talks.

[@ahmedmohamed-fo5jl]

From the beginning I knew that he is a good person, his book on human nature is elegant

[@rileystewart9165]

He definitely knew that pretty girl was in his front row and really digging his ideas. Notice how he is constantly looking away from her and make a double glance at

[@chrisc990]

Great presentation.

[@protodhamma]

An minute

[@malcolmgraham8319]

I'm huge on determinism so I huge on solution based problem solving. I thing zero-sum fallacy leads to a lot of resistance that destroys functionality. I think the point identifying problems through compassion and altering causes rather than harming people. Empathy based in cognition leads to great outcomes.

[@truthseeker3071]

the golden rule is really the universal rule for all of humanity

[@djrite]

Watch Chris Milk TED talk about how he is using virtual reality to expand compassion amongst world leaders

[@matthewtenney2898]

There is no "ought" to just a feeling, whether of compassion, empathy, rage, panic, etc. Unless we believe in a Creator who gives authority to our feelings, then we would be fools to pay any attention to a feeling. Those who reject a Creator would do best to read The Prince by Machiavelli to help create a rule based upon self interest. Carl Sagan did just that and came out with the "Gold plated Brazen Rule" back in 1993.

[@dusky186]

Edit: The following is a completely mathematical argument and don't look to deeply into religious or philosophical applications of what I saying. I am not being philosophical here.I have a couple of completely rhetorical questions for Dr. Wright. They center around my uncertainty, I feel like "evolutionary biology" to describe evolution or change in a strictly non-reproductive change in organism or a change is something non-living. I get this from a lot of evolutionary biologists.

[@user-ej5gx7ph7q]

Starting with mammals every member of the species must depend upon another to survive. Thst maternal dependence becomes empathy and can be applied to other members of society. Empathy allows and is the progenitor for language and culture...

[@noahbaker6932]

...

[@mjgarrett9885ify]

compassion is found in different animal species. the ones you see compassion in have a brain to join or not join with another .

[@ocdjirecpilot7888]

It is interesting how this Talk was made 8 years ago, and now we are facing the detrimental impact of reconstructed and one-sided compassion, mainly when talking about Israel and G@z@. Now, on Nov 8, it has been a month where more than 5,000 innocent children among 10,000 Murdered innocent individuals by Israel's b@mbardment; explain to us now where is compassion when a double standard society can justify this amount of deaths in Gaza in less than a month? Ethnically cleansing an entire nation for centuries? When learning about compassion, mainly when the knowledge is coming from Israelites who are the ones committing Geno3ides, It makes me wonder, in disbelief, that people can have so many double standards, justifying murder and going as far as to mock them and sit on top of hills enjoying the scenery of dreadful killing and murdering while sipping their coffees and laughing for centuries. How on earth can one talk about compassion when the one's teaching it is siding with Criminals and justifying the k*ll*ng of innocent children..!! Speak up for the truth!

[@johnnysalter7072]

Haven't a clue as to what zero-sum means.

[@lairdgordonmcdoodle228]

I assume Robert is using

[@natejennings4107]

What is with the "Compassion" what happened to all those cool ideas you used to find and share with us!!

[@truthseeker3071]

I feel this man got compassion mixed up with empathy