Compassion is a fundamental human trait, with deep psychological and evolutionary roots.
Cal Berkley’s Greater Good site? http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ There are numerous articles, videos, book reviews, etc. on the evolution of cooperation.
Their Core Beliefs
- Compassion is a fundamental human trait, with deep psychological and evolutionary roots. By creating environments that foster cooperation and altruism, we help nurture the positive side of human nature.
- Happiness is not simply dependent on a person’s genes. It is a set of skills that can be taught, and, with practice, developed over time.
- Happiness and altruism are intertwined—doing good is an essential ingredient to being happy.
- Science should do more than help us understand human behavior and emotion in the abstract; it should be applied toward improving people’s personal and professional lives.
- Studying the roots of good, healthy, and positive behavior is just as important as studying human pathologies. To promote individual and social well-being, science must examine how people overcome difficult circumstances and how they develop positive emotions and relationships.
- Individual well-being promotes social well-being, and social well-being promotes individual well-being. The well-being of society as a whole can best be achieved by providing information, tools, and skills to those people directly responsible for shaping the well-being of others.