Plaidoyer pour l'altruisme: La force de la bienveillance

by Matthieu Ricard

Après ses best-sellers Le Moine et le Philosophe, Plaidoyer pour le bonheur et L'Art de la méditation, le grand livre de Matthieu Ricard sur l'altruisme : en cette période de doutes tous azimuts, un sujet urgent, et qui nous concerne tous.

Abreuvés d'images violentes, confrontés à une société en crise, on n'imagine pas la force de la bienveillance, le pouvoir de transformation positive qu'une véritable attitude altruiste peut avoir sur nos vies au plan individuel et, partant, sur la société tout entière. Moine bouddhiste depuis près de quarante ans, Matthieu Ricard, lui, expérimente les vertus de l'altruisme au quotidien. Au carrefour de la philosophie, de la psychologie, des neurosciences, de l'économie, de l'écologie, son Plaidoyer pour l'altruisme est la somme d'années de recherches, de lectures, d'expériences, d'observation et de réflexion. Avec le sens de la pédagogie qui le caractérise et toujours en s'appuyant sur des exemples très concrets, l'auteur de Plaidoyer pour le bonheur démontre point par point que l'altruisme n'est ni une utopie ni un vœu pieux, mais une nécessité, voire une urgence, dans notre monde de plus en plus interdépendant à l'heure de la mondialisation. Un essai passionnant, inspiré par un humanisme et une lucidité qui emportent l'adhésion.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Psychology, Buddhism, Self Help, Spirituality, Personal Development

924 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, trained as a molecular biologist before moving to Nepal to study Buddhism. He is the author of The Monk and the Philosopher (with his father, Jean-François Revel); The Quantum and the Lotus (with Trinh Thuan); Happiness; The Art of Meditation; Altruism: The Power of Compassion; A Plea for the Animals; and Beyond the Self: Conversations between Buddhism and Neuroscience (with Wolf Singer). He has published several books of photography, including Motionless Journey and Tibet: An Inner Journey, and is the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama.

Reviews

[Isabelle Marcoux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma tante m'a donné ce livre à Noël et c'est l'un des rares livres qui m'a touchée au point de changer ma vie. Avant de le lire, j'aimais déjà le bouddhisme et ses valeurs de paix, de partage et de respect de la nature. Dans ce livre Matthieu Ricard explique pourquoi la générosité, aider les autres, respecter la terre etc pourquoi tout ça est relié. Ses propos font réfléchir et nous vont droit au coeur. J'ai par la suite acheté ce livre pour plusieurs amis.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
There was a lot to get through in this book but everything was relevant. We all have the capacity for altruism as shown in the research the author presents. With more effort we can improve society with more attention and cultivation of this.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow Aspirational, Down-to-Earth, Factual, Pulling-no-Punches, and Generally Enjoyable all at Once...

I picked this book up with slight trepidation. I mean Altruism in general - I'm very for it! However I wasn't too sure what the angle was going to be, and just what was going to flesh out this reasonably massive tome.

Really shouldn't have worried. Immediately Ricard drew me in with a dive into the sophistication of morally good behaviour - kind of like the non-fiction version of that episode of Friends where they discuss whether people only do good to feel good. Ricard won me over with his nuanced analysis of ethics, essentially promoting a perspective of 'compassion for all' (including yourself, others, the world animals etc).

Altruism dives into a ridiculous amount of material and perspectives, so many its difficult to summarize, but covers human nature, war, political and personal conflict, psychology, neurology and climate change. All of this with a sense of hope alongside realism.

Probably my only beef with this book is that the final chapters focus on the gloomiest and most challenges problems facing the world, which to be fair makes sense - as these are the issues we need to work on, but it sure made for hard reading.

I guess of any book on ethical behaviour and wordly perspectives Altruism has to be my most highly rated. At several hundred pages its probably not a book digestible by all but for those eyeball deep in their non-fiction journeys it comes highly recommended!

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Altruism would have been to make this book a lot shorter.

As with all self-help, what matters is if it resonates. Maybe this is the book you need now, but it didn't do it for me. I felt it lost the forest for the trees. Be nice. OK. Nuff said. That doesn't really take 864 pages. I don't think the central point requires all the scientifical and Buddhist stuff, etc.

[Lennie Noiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. It started off strong but soon it started preaching to the converted.
I'm sure there will be a lot of nodding heads from people who are already inclined to believe in Altruism and compassion, which I do.
I could find nothing here that was going to change peoples behaviors or beliefs.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot in this book, to like and/or dislike; if you are a devout meat eater, you may not wish to read this book. It gives insight into trying to be a better person, for yourself, your family and the planet. There are many hidden agendas that are brought to the forefront by companies, people, and the government. It also shows how far money changes people and how truly consumable a society we have become but only because we have been taught. Truly a read that makes one think.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I bought this book, I thought it would mostly talk about the buddhist view of altruism, along with meditations and that sort of vibe. I was pleasantly mistaken, and it was much better, more well researched, and effective than I expected.

The start of the book goes through different definitions of altruism, and the author tries to formulate a definition based off the variety of views. One such definition is that "Altruism is the willingness to help others who are suffering." In this first part of the book, the author also goes through the difference of empathy and compassion, which I found super interesting. Empathy is imagining the feelings of another based off of their experience and then feeling them for yourself, whereas, compassion is the feeling of genuinely wanting another person to experience happiness and avoid suffering. The author warns and shows evidence of the side effects of empathy, because it can exhaust your emotional energy much much faster than compassion can. Empathy can make you feel the same way as the person suffering, and thus, you can easily mix up your initial emotions vs their emotions. Then, you may be less effective in helping them. The author cites that this is a common occurrence with medical workers, about 60% of medical professionals experience burnout. But with compassion, although you don't experience the same emotions the other is feeling, you understand that they are suffering in some way, and you feel the action and caring feelings to help. Compassionate action was shown to be more effective than empathetic action. I believe the main point of the first part was to show that compassion to more aligned with the idea of altruism, so training your compassion can lead to altruistic results in society.

After the first part, the author goes into researching how altruism in humans came about, and finding out if it is really innate within us. This dives more into theories of evolution, genetics, animals, and even understanding if children exhibit altruistic motivations early on in life. The findings I took away from this part were that rather than humans being innately selfish (as most of the early theories suggest), its more that humans are innately altruistic, but learn selfish tendencies from society and the environment around them. Super interesting studies on both psychology of animals and psychology of humans.

The third part is about how to cultivate altruism. Because of the theory of neural plasticity, it is always possible to change the way you think. Studies were carried out on the author, along with other monks, revealed that "attention, emotional balance, altruistic love, compassion, and other human qualities can be cultivated, and that their development is accompanied by profound functional and structural transformations in the brain." Another theory that promotes the optimism of being able to change is through epigenetics. Certain genes passed down can either be "expressed" or "silent". They can change based on one's environment, external conditions, and mental states. A study by Richard Davidson showed that "meditating for eight hours on mindfulness, altruistic love, and compassion already induces major epigenic modifications." Then, the author goes into different types of meditations to help cultivate altruistic love based off his experience as a monk. He also adds neuroscience studies to back up the amounting evidence of positive effects from these meditations.

The fourth part is honestly quite a bit gruesome at moments (wouldn't recommend reading at night if you get disturbed easily), but it is about the contrary forces to altruism, such as egocentrism, individualism, narcissism, selfishness, hatred, psychopathic behavior, conflict, war, violence, dehumanization, and animal slaughtering. One of the most interesting studies I found from this chapter was on the correlation between psychopaths and World War 2. According to R.A. Gabriel, "only 1% of American fighter pilots were responsible for 30-40% of in-flight destruction of enemy plane." This wasn't because they were better, but because most fighters had no intention of killing anyone. Another study by Swank and Marchand found that only 2% of the WW2 fighters were capable of long-term combat, and were identified as "aggressive psychopaths". The rest of the soldiers developed psychiatric disorders. The most disturbing thing is that for the Vietnam War, the US knew that people were extremely avoidant to killing and knew that it caused psychiatric disorders, but they still decided to find ways to make the soldiers more willing to kill the Vietnamese, mostly by dehumanizing them and making them seem like monsters. They also made sure to particularly draft the youngest people possible because they were easier to manipulate in this way.

The last part is a breath of fresh air after the last part, and is about how to build a more altruistic society. One of the most effective ways to change society is through education. Teaching kids how to be compassionate to everyone is absolutely necessary. The author gave many case studies of initiatives bringing in teachings like emotional intelligence, compassion training, and mindfulness showed very positive results in the classroom. The rest of this part of the book was on how to improve the economy to be more caring, and actually strive to the well-being of humanity instead of just profit. One of the most interesting ideas I found in this section was on the balance of the three main sectors. Henry Mintzberg introduces a third sector, along with the public and private, called the "plural" sector. This sector would embody charities, foundations, community, NGOs, professional associations, cooperatives, mutual funds, health organizations, and nonprofit schools and universities. The idea is to balance the three sectors, and ensure everyone is focused on the well-being of everyone. For the private sector, focus on social and responsible business and for the public sector, ensure political forces are responsible and well-respected. A balance of the three can make a harmonious society. US is an example of a society with too much power to the private sector, while China is an example of too much power to the public sector. Overall, there are many ways and solutions that we already have available to achieve an altruistic, loving society! WHAT A GREAT BOOK!

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept, but read like a textbook. Would love the cliff notes version!

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this over a month ago. However, I wanted to take the time to formulate a review because it's SO good. In all fairness, I didn't technically read it, but rather listened (thanks Hoopla/St Louis County Library!). As such, I don't have an easy way to reference quotes, etc.

That said, he mentions several times in the book wanting to present an overview of Altruism. If 800 pages or a 30 hour audio book counts as an overview, I can't imagine what he thinks of as in depth.

Ricard touches on not just altruism in a spiritual/religious sense, but EVERYTHING else. He speaks on politics, economics, environment, science (which he is more than qualified to do as he has a PhD in molecular genetics), and more.

One of these days, I'd like to read/listen to more of his works because he not only presented the issues, but he also presented solutions. I would highly recommend taking the time (again, 30 hour audio book!) to listen to this book.

[Oana-Mihaela Burz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and transcendental book that has altruism (or his lack in some chapters) as a main theme.
The title might be a little misleading, as it does not cover just the science and psychology of kindness alone, but if also gives a very integralistic context on when, where, why or how it should be applied in everyday life, in the global context, also considering the past, the present and the future.
At times it might seem that the author wanted to dive into a universal theory of altruism, and took too much on his plate. Still it is impressive how he managed to tackle this theme from so many perspectives.

[Deke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is only partly successful in that it successfully discusses how altruism can positively change an individual and by extension the world, but it never successfully explains how this would be globally effective in modern society (with sociopaths, Ayn Rand devotees, etc.).

[deleted d · Rating 3 out of 5]

altruism makes you feel better and is a part of human behaviour

[Michael Joe Armijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dear friend, Barbara Reynolds, who now lives in Petaluma, CA informed me in a handwritten letter that she’d seen Matthieu Ricard on some talk show and was intrigued about his book, ALTRUISM. It inspired me to order my own copy from Amazon.com. I’m glad I did.
This book is almost like a text book about how to live a more enriched and fulfilling life by being compassionate through love and sharing. I loved the many lines and tips I received. It took me a long time to read as I wanted to enrich myself slowly—as if experiencing a worthwhile meditation. I strongly recommend this book to anyone. It’s truly excellent. YOU will get a lot of great advice from it while enriching yourself with a more HAPPY life.
Here are some of the many excerpts/lines I was able to capture while reading:
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. –Martin Luther King Jr.
*The Buddhist Vision: Every human possesses and indestructible potential for goodness and enlightenment.
Learning how to read or learning a musical instrument induces a restructuring in the brain at both the functional and structural levels. This is also what happens when one trains in developing altruistic love and compassion.
“Altruism implies the elimination of selfish desire and of egocentrism, as well as leading a life devoted to the well-being of others.” --Auguste Comte
“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Finally, you WIN.” –Ghandhi
Altruistic love is characterized by unconditional kindness toward ALL BEINGS and is apt to be expressed at any time in favor of every being in particular.
“LOVE fears nothing and no one. It cuts through the fear at is very root.” –Ghandi
Lack of LOVE, of meaning, of confidence in oneself, and the absence of a clear direction in their lives weigh so heavily that it sometimes leads them to self-destruction. These extreme actions are a cry of despair, a call for help, a way of self-expression for those who do not know how to find happiness, or who have been prevented from doing so by the brutality of external conditions.
“If we practice an eye for an eye,” said Ghandi, “and a tooth for a tooth, soon the whole world will be blind and toothless.”
The Seventh Dalai Lama wrote in the 18th Century:
IF THERE IS A WAY TO FREE OURSELVES FROM SUFFERING
WE MUST USE EVERY MOMENT TO FIND IT.
ONLY A FOOL WANTS TO GO ON SUFFERING,
ISN’T IS SAD TO KNOWINGLY IMBIBE POISON?
The word “empathy” refers to the ability to “feel the other from within”.
Affective empathy occurs when we enter into resonance with the situation and feelings of another person, with the emotions that are shown by the person’s facial expressions, gaze, tone of voice, body language, and behavior.
“WAR is a monstrous lack of imagination.” –Franz Kafka
“Do NOT do unto others as you would have them done unto you. They may have different tastes.”—George Bernard Shaw
“There are two kinds of pity. One, the weak and sentimental kind, which is really no more than the heart’s impatience to be rid as quickly as possible of the painful emotion aroused by the sight of another’s unhappiness…; and the other, the only kind that counts, the unsentimental but creative kind, which knows what it is about and is determined to hold out, in patience and forbearance, to the very limit of its strength and even beyond.” –Stefan Zweig
The characteristics of the person who feels empathy will also have an influence. If, for example, I am not subject to vertigo, I will have trouble entering into empathic resonance with a person who is prey to that distress, but that will not prevent me from being aware of the fact that the other needs help or comfort.
COMPASSION is awareness of the other’s situation, and is accompanied by the wish to relieve suffering and to procure the other’s happiness.
Love and Compassion are positive states of mind, which reinforce one’s inner ability to confront others’ suffering and to care better for them. If a child is hospitalized, the presence of a loving mother at his side who holds his hand and comforts him with tender words will no doubt do him more good than the anxiety of a mother overwhelmed with empathic distress who, unable to bear the sight of her sick child, paces back and forth in the hallway.
Positive emotions like joy, contentment, gratitude, wonder, enthusiasm, inspiration, and love have an additional dimension that is not reducible to neutrality of mind: They are a source of profound satisfaction. This implies that in order to flourish in life one must foster the blossoming of positive emotions.
“LOVE is the supreme emotion.”—Barbara Frederickson
Dictionaries define love as “the inclination of one person for another” or as a “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties”.
“The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them, there outhg to be as many for LOVE.” –Margaret Atwood
“LOVE is a positive resonance that manifests when three events occur simultaneously: the sharing of one or several positive emotions, a synchrony between the behavior and the physiological reactions of two people, and the intention to contribute to the other’s well-being, an intention that engenders mutual care.” –Barbara Frederickson
Scientific data has shown how LOVE, or its absence, fundamentally changes our physiology and the regulation of a group of biochemical substances, substances that can even influence the way our genes are expressed in our cells. This ensemble of complex interactions profoundly affects our physical health, our vitality, and our well-being.
Studies have now established that inhaling sprays of oxytocin made people more confident, more generous, more cooperative, more sensitive to others’ emotions, more constructive in communications, and more charitable in their judgments.
Oxytocin plays an important role in “calming and connecting” in contrast to the “fight or flight” reflex.
To survive and prosper, oxytocin was described by neurobiologists as “the great facilitator of life.”
*Subjects who had practiced meditation felt more love, involvement in their daily activities, serenity, joy, and other beneficial emotions.
*When you’re alone, thinking about those you love, reflecting on past loving connections, yearning for more, or even when you’re practicing loving-kindness meditation or writing an impassioned love letter, you ARE NOT in the moment experiencing TRUE LOVE. They are NOT (yet) shared, and so they lack the critical and undeniably physical ingredient of resonance. Physical presence is key to love.
ALL THE JOY THE WORLD CONTAINS
HAS COME THROUGH WISHING HAPPINESS FOR OTHERS.
ALL THE MISERY THE WORLD CONTAINS
HAS COME THROUGH WANTING PLEASURE FOR ONESELF. –Shantideva, a 7th Century Indian Buddhist master in his work, THE PATH TOWARDS AWAKENING
*The true altruist is one who never hopes for a reward. He responds to the needs of others out of his natural compassion. Cause and effect are unfailing, so his actions to benefit others are sure to bear fruit—but he never counts on it.” --Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Tibetan Master
*Harmful mental states always tend to distance us a little more from that feeling of harmony with oneself.” --French philosopher, Michel Terestchenko calls it “fidelity to self”
*I actually think that humans are instrinsically good. You always have to see the good, the beautiful, in a person, never deny, always look for the greatness of people, without any distinction of religion, caste, or way of thinking.” –Father Ceyrac
*Altruism can be thought of as heroic when:
It has the aim of helping someone else.
It involves a major risk or sacrifice.
It is not linked to a reward;
It is voluntary.
“It is tempting, if the only tool you have is hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”
--Abraham Malsow cautions
“We are selfish because the only thing we really want is to have pleasant experiences, to prolong them, and to avoid or curtail unpleasant experiences.” –John Stuart Mill, English philosopher
“I didn’t have a choice.” Margot, a woman who had taken considerable risks to protect Jews persecuted by the Nazis, explained it this way: “Suppose somebody drowns. If you stop to think, ‘Shall I? Shall I not? Eeny, meeny, miney, mo.” You can’t do that. You either help or you don’t. You don’t walk away. You don’t walk away from somebody who needs real help.”
*The Dalai Lama often says that love is more natural than hatred…since from birth to death we all need, in welfare and others. In general, he adds, we feel “good” when we show kindness to others, and “bad” when we harm others.
“I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart that its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison when my comrades and I were pusched to our limits I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going… HUMAN goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.” --NELSON MANDELLA
AN OLD CHEROKEE GIVING ADVICE TO HIS GRANDSON:
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is EVIL---he is hatred, anger, greed, envy, arrogance, grudge, resentment, miserliness, and cowardliness. The other is GOOD—he is happiness, joy, serenity, love, kindness, compassion, hope, humility, generosity, truthfulness and confidence. They are also fighting inside you and inside every other person, too.”
THE CHILD thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
“KIN SELECTION” – All those who are genetically related. In fact, the sister of a given individual has an average of 50% of genes in common with him; a first cousin 25% a niece 12.5% and so on.
“We are survival machines—robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes.” --Richard Dawkins
Four parental attitudes that are the most apt to favor altruistic behavior in children:
-expressing affection
-acting in an altruistic way oneself, thereby serving as an example
-making children aware of the impact of their actions on others.
-providing children with the opportunity to be useful to others.
“IF you teach me something, I’ll forget it; if you show me something, I might remember it; if you make me do something, I will put it into practice.” –CONFUCIUS
The love and tenderness that children receive in early childhood profoundly influence the rest of their lives.
Kindness is one of the most powerful determinants of a feeling of accomplishment and contentment.
Defining BENEVOLENCE: “It’s neither genius, nor glory, nor love that measures the loftiness of the human soul; it’s benevolence.” –Henri Lacordaire
Scientific research in the field of neuroplasticity shows that any form of training leads to a reconfiguring in the brain, on both the functional and structural levels.
Society and its institutions influence and condition individuals. As this interaction continues over the course of generations, culture and individuals mutually shape each other.
“We all share the same human nature, feel the same emotions of joy and sadness, benevolence or anger, and are all trying to avoid suffering. Thus as human beings we are basically the same.” --The Dalai Lama
Neuroplasticity is a term that takes into account the fact that the brain changes constantly when an individual is exposed to new situations.
In 1997, Fred Gage placed rats alone in an empty box for a month in which they had nothing to do except eat once a day. Then he transferred them to a veritable DISNEYLAND for rats, with tunnels, wheels, pools, and various climbing elements, as well as other rats to keep them company. The repercussions of this transfer on the brain were surprising. In forty-five days, the hippocampus (area of the brain associated with learning new skills) increased 15% in volume, even among the older rats, going on aerage from 270,000 neurons to 317,000 neurons. Until one dies, new neurons continue to form in certain regions of the human brain (up to 1000 per day). This is occurring throughout life.
Six types of MEDITATION:
-focused attention
-altruistic love combined with compassion
-open presence
-visualization of mental images
-fearlessness
-devotion
Research has shown that a few weeks of MEDITATION , at the rate of thirty minutes a day induced significant changes in cerebral activity, the immune system, one’s quality of attention, and many other parameters.
People have more control of their emotions behave more altruistically than those who do not. A free, serene mind is more likely to consider painful situations and the suffering of others from an altruistic point of view than a mind constantly disturbed by internal conflicts and preoccupied with its own reactions (fear, anxiety, anger, etc.).
To MEDITATE on altruistic love, you should start by realizing that deep down you want to avoid suffering, and you wish for happiness. This step is especially important for those who have a negative image of themselves and have suffered a lot, and who thing they are not meant to be happy. Give rise to a welcoming, tolerant, kind attitude toward yourself; decide that from now on you wish the best for yourself.
Once you have recognized this aspiration, you then have to realize that it is shared by all beings. Acknowledge our interdependence. The shirt you wear, the glass you drink from, the house you live in—all these are possible only thanks to the activity of countless others. The simplest object in your everyday life is filled with the presence of others. Reflect on the origin of the white sheet of paper on which you write. Imagine the lumberjack who cut down the tree, the paper factory worker, the truck driver, the shopkeeper; like any of us, they all have a life, with joys and sufferings, parents and friends. They all share our humanity; none of them wants to suffer. This awareness should make us feel closer to all these beings, to feel empathy for them, to be concerned about their fate and to wish them well.
It is easier to begin training in altruistic love by thinking about someone dear to you. Imagine a smiling child coming up to us and looking at us happily, trustingly, full of innocence. You pat the child’s head, look at it tenderly, and take it in your arms, as you feel unconditional love, and kindness. Let yourself be complete filled with his love, which wants nothing but the happiness of this child. Remain for a few moments in full awareness of this love, without any other thoughts. THEN extend these loving thoughts to people you know less well and to strangers.
“To love is to find pleasure in the happiness of others. Thus the habit of loving someone is nothing other than the benevolence by which we want the good of others, not for the profit that we gain from it, but because it is agreeable to us in itself.” –Leibniz
When you breathe OUT, think that your heart is a brilliant sphere of light from which rays of white light carry your happiness to all being, all over the world. When you breathe IN, take their sufferings on yourself in the form of a dense, black cloud, which penetrates your heart and dissolves into white light without leaving a trace.
A number of experiments showing that feeling connected to others increases our psychological well-being and physical health, and diminishes the risk of depression. The feeling of connection and belonging to a wider community also increases empathy and fosters behavior based on trust and cooperation.
TAKING CONTROL OF ONE’S LIFE – Let’s take the example of a sailor on his boat: his freedom does not consist in letting his boat drift at the mercy of the winds and currents—in that case, he wouldn’t be navigating but drifting—but in being master of this boat, taking the tiller, trimming his sails, and navigating in the direction he has chosen.
FORGET about self-esteem and concentrate more on self-control and self-discipline.
*Authentic self-confidence is born from a feeling of balance with oneself, based on a peaceful strength that is not threatened by external circumstances or inner fears, a freedom beyond fascination with image and fear of losing it.” –Christophe Andre
GOD did not create you so you’d be like everyone else.
WHAT MAKES ME SO SPECIAL?
What is the difference between me and everyone else that justifies placing myself in this special category? Am I more intelligent? Do I enjoy my life more? Are my accomplishments greater? Do I have needs or abilities that are so different from the needs or abilities of others? In short, what makes me so special? Failing an answer, it turns out that Ethical Egoism is an arbitrary doctrine in the same way that racism is arbitrary. And this, in addition to explaining why Ethical Egoism is unacceptable, also sheds some light on the question of why we should care for others. We should care for the interest of other people for the same reason we care for our own interests; for their needs and desires are comparable to our own. –James Rachels, American philosopher
Basically, kindness and compassion for oneself comes down to asking oneself, “What is really good for me?”
The psychologist Heinz Kohut insisted on the idea that to feel that one belongs is one of the main aspirations of human beings. One of the major causes for mental health problems is the feeling of being cut off from others. To reinforce the feeling of being connected to the world and to all beings, Paul Gilbert suggests to his patients visualizations like this:
“I would like you to IMAGINE a sea in front of you that is a beautiful blue, is warm and calm, lapping on a sandy shore. Imagine that you are standing just in the water with the water lapping gently at your feet. Now as you look out over the sea to the horizon imagine that this sea has been here for millions of years, was a source of life. It has seen many things in the history of life and knows many things Now imagine the sea has complete acceptance for you, that it knows of your struggles and pain. Allow yourself to feel connected to the sea, its power and wisdom in complete acceptance of you.”
Once one has established a better relationship with oneself, it becomes easier to feel kindness and compassion for others.
Research on forgiveness in particular has shown that an important stage in the process of forgiveness consisted of replacing anger with empathy. Empath is a vital component of our humanity. Without it, we have difficulty giving meaning to our existence, connecting to others, and finding emotional balance. We can also drift toward indifference, coldness, and cruelty.
Violence is often used by humans and animals to obtain food, reproduce, defend themselves, conquer or protect a territory, or assert one’s authority or hierarchical rank.
“People don’t change because of a magic touch. They grow.” –Wilbert Rideau
“You have to do it on your own. I don’t know of any more powerful way to change people than education.” –Wilbert Rideau
After two decades of studies on the influence of television, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that TV viewers who constantly watch negative actions show an increased tendency to act in the same way, and that the more one watches television, the more inclined one is to thing that people are selfish and would deceive us at the first opportunity....and there is MUCH MORE but I have no more characters left.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even as long as it was, this is a book to be read every year to keep the momentum of altruistic ideas fresh and moving. I would want an updated version every decade as this one is already 11+ years old.

As an added bonus, I always respect an author more when they actually live out their message. All his proceeds from this book and all his books and events go to promote non-profit, humanitarian projects.

Don't believe lies or current political jargon. Humanity, on average, is better off and has been improving. But consuming more is not necessary and might be contrary to improving more. How much better could my life possibly be at the expense and/or exploitation of others to have a few more creature comforts?

Rather, I aspire to give hope. Hope to those who need it, hope to those who are suffering, and hope to the future of the Earth. Preserving hope is essential to defeating despair.

(Note: This review is written easily and freely on one of my many electronic devices from the comforts and privilege of wealth consuming more than I need only to be read by those of similar status. I feel the irony, and so should you.)

[Jen Steed Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 because it was wordier than it needed to be.

But still -- a book every human should read!

Some quotes I liked:

"As a society, we cannot kill in order to show that killing is evil."

"By blaming others for their own failures, narcissists do not draw lessons from their mistakes and do not bother to remedy their weaknesses."

"An excess of self-confidence leads [students] to think that they know everything. Consequently, they are neither motivated nor persevering."

"When [antagonistic groups] get to know each other by spending more time together, they are much more inclined to be kind, since they grant more value to the other by perceiving the other's needs, hopes, and fears more clearly."

"... it is not enough for two hostile groups to stop fighting or to live together. They have to work together for the common good."

"Our character traits last as long as we do nothing to improve them and we leave our attitudes and automatisms alone, or else let them be reinforced with time. But it is a mistake to believe they are fixed in place permanently."

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can only describe this book as the synthesis of what I believe in. This book can be broken down into two parts: the psychology of altruism and how humans must apply altruism to our global interactions if we intend on continuing to inhabit this planet. If you are new to the concept of sustainable development, this is a great place to start. Ricard cites dozens, if not hundreds of fantastic books to delve deeper with. I also found it to be one of the most rewarding reads I've ever completed; from someone who has been down this path for years.

[Charlie Quezada · Rating 5 out of 5]

“El altruista considera las situaciones desde una perspectiva más abierta. Le será más fácil considerar las situaciones desde diferentes ángulos, y tomar las decisiones más apropiadas. No tener ninguna consideración por el interés de los demás no es racional, es sólo inhumano.
Además, mientras que la voz de la razón sola no proporciona a los egoístas suficientes justificaciones para convencerlos de eliminar la pobreza en medio de la abundancia, la voz de la solicitud les puede proporcionar muchas. Por esta razón, merece nuestra atención y tiene que guiarnos en nuestros esfuerzos por resolver los problemas mundiales.”

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise, presenting many statistics to support the argument that altruism is essential. Whilst I agree with the overall tone, I found the book quite 'preachy' and felt that the main message could have been sold in half the page count.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A looooooooooooooong read, but full of fine gems and things to discuss, debate, and consider.

[Jung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn to direct yourself toward leading a more altruistic life.

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There are two types of altruism: one you are born with, and one you need to cultivate as you grow.

There’s no question that the world would benefit from more people practicing altruism. In fact, many people, from politicians to charity workers, stress this need daily.

But what exactly is altruism and how can you practice it?

Actually, there are two types of altruism – one that every person is born with, and a second, more involved form that people must develop themselves.

The first type of altruism is called natural altruism. It refers to any tendency a person has to take care of things or people in her immediate surroundings. It includes things such as motherly love – the impulse of a mother to tend to and protect a child.

The second type of altruism, in contrast, is not innate and has to be cultivated throughout a person’s life. An action like building an orphanage out of a broad concern for parentless children is one example of this type of altruism.

So how do you develop your own altruism?

To foster altruism, it helps to take a deep look inside of yourself. When you do so, you’ll likely realize that in general, you desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering. When you expand this basic insight from yourself to all other beings, you can experience altruism.

Why? Every creature is linked to the joy and pain of every other creature. Therefore, the greatest altruistic endeavor is to liberate every being from all suffering. Someone who devotes herself to this endeavor is known as a Bodhisattva.

In Tibetan Buddhism, to become a Bodhisattva, one must take certain vows. These are essentially promises that one’s entire life will be a spiritual quest aimed to end the suffering of as many other beings as possible, while aiding them in their own attainment of spiritual enlightenment.

According to Buddhism, the true cause of suffering is ignorance; that is, a misunderstanding of reality.

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Altruism is linked to love, a contagious emotion. The more love you share, the more love you get.

Altruism is all about helping others, but there’s actually another word that describes such caring acts. It’s love – a feeling of appreciation and peaceful, contented happiness.

But love isn’t just a path to helping others; it’s also contagious. Every loving act builds momentum that creates more love.

While often the love that you feel tends to depend on external conditions, with practice, you can learn to love regardless of the situation you’re in or the people you’re with.

For instance, researcher Barbara Fredrickson found that a person can produce feelings of love infinitely throughout the day as long as he or she has learned to cultivate a loving mind-set.

Love can also energize you, making it easier to spread more love to others, while feeling happier all the time.

Let’s say you’re a tutor. You may enjoy seeing your student excelling at his work. Like most teachers, you’ve also probably experienced your student’s gratitude, in his smile and maybe small presents given to you. As a result, your happiness grows, and you’re motivated to help even more students!

But that’s not all love can do. Another benefit of cultivating genuine love is that it will help you draw positive social benefits from others without even trying. That’s because your brain contains so-called mirror neurons, which are special cells that let you feel what another person is feeling.

Mirror neurons help you understand social interactions, as watching an event occur sparks the same neural activity in the human brain as does experiencing an event directly. For example, if someone is crying or feeling sad, simply witnessing that person’s emotional state will make you sad, too.

But the opposite is also true. If you show love to others, they’ll reproduce your behavior and show love in return.

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Scientists have found that how you think can even change your DNA, making you more altruistic.

Having good intentions may be well and good, but did you know there’s actually scientific evidence to support the benefits of acting positively?

It’s true! This research is based on the concept of neuroplasticity, that people in essence become more loving by having altruistic thoughts. But let’s back up a bit and look at how the scientific community arrived at this discovery.

Scientists used to say that the human brain grew until adulthood, at which point it would actually begin to shrink. This supported the idea that once you became an adult, your personality would be fixed. But both ideas are actually false! Here’s why.

In 1962, researcher Joseph Altman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered that neurons are constantly produced anew throughout a person’s life. This realization is the basis of neuroplasticity.

When you perform a certain action, the part of your brain connected to the action “becomes stronger,” that is, grows more neurons. So when you have more altruistic thoughts, the area of your brain associated with doing good grows more neurons, and you become more altruistic!

Yet there’s another field of study that has become pivotal in explaining a person’s ability to cultivate altruism. It’s called epigenetics.

Epigenetics examines how external factors can essentially affect the workings of individual genes in a person. That is, depending on your environment and even your mental state, the information stored on an individual gene will either be turned “on” or “off,” determining which traits are expressed.

But what does this have to do with altruism?

The idea is that if you act more altruistically, your actions can potentially influence the expression of your genes, changing them to essentially make you more altruistic.

For instance, even though identical twins share an identical set of genes, each twin’s personality can be totally different. One twin might be a hardened criminal, while the other is an altruistic doctor. The only feasible explanation for such differences is found in epigenetics.

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Humans are not inherently selfish, but egotistic behavior can stifle our natural altruism and empathy.

While natural altruism is inherent in all of us, there are some people who feel that to succeed, one has to focus on one’s own needs alone.

But how true is this?

Not very. We know that it’s difficult to live alone; having a community, however small, is crucial to an individual’s success in life. In fact, concentrating only on yourself is a sure path to misery.

This is especially true for people whose job it is to help others. It’s essential that professional caregivers perform their work with compassion; just “going through the motions” can actually do harm.

For instance, a BBC documentary depicted a group of Romanian nurses who apparently showed zero empathy toward the children in their care. When they were bathed, the children would cry from pain. While the nurses did feed the children, many looked emaciated, as if they hadn’t eaten at all.

The problem? By concentrating solely on their “tasks” and not truly caring, the nurses were creating more suffering. If the nurses had been more empathetic, the children would have been healthier!

Interestingly, much of the justification for acting selfishly actually stems from a misunderstanding of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Some people misinterpret Darwin’s writings in order to support individualistic, egotistic behavior. Many think the Darwinian phrase “survival of the fittest” means that only the strongest in society will survive, and that cooperation contradicts our survival instincts.

However, Darwin actually said that social animals benefit each other in a variety of ways, and in fact truly enjoy each other’s company.

Yet some people are so focused on their own ego that they build their entire worldview around it. This single-minded devotion to self is called egocentrism. Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged, once said that she believed altruism was immoral.

Yet if every action was based purely on ego, soldiers who risk their lives to save their comrades would be acting as selfishly as those who push others into the line of fire to protect themselves. The absurdity of this logic proves that humans are not wholly egocentric beings.

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Daily meditation can help you cultivate altruism and do more good for others.

Meditation is a practice of introspection that’s existed for over 2,000 years, even before the Buddha’s time. But did you know that meditating is also a powerful way to alter your state of mind and cultivate altruism?

That’s because to help others, you first need to be strong yourself. It’s this strength and patience that meditation can gradually build. In fact, even a short daily meditation session can create fundamental positive changes in your mind.

The Mind and Life Institute, an organization committed to scientifically studying the effects of meditation, discovered that a mere 30 minutes of meditation a day is enough to increase focus, build up your immune system and even change your brain activity!

It’s also essential for people who help others to be able to manage physical pain, a skill that allows them to work through and accomplish urgent tasks in critical situations. Meditation can help with this.

In fact, studies have shown that the unpleasant effects of physical pain can be lessened after just four days of 20-minute meditation sessions. Not just that, but those who generally experience physical pain and who regularly meditate reported that for them, experiencing pain was 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense.

So while meditation in general increases altruism, there are forms of meditation that specifically support those who wish to care for others.

For instance, metta meditation is a direct practice for cultivating altruism. “Metta” means “love” in Pali, a language that traces its origins to the Indian subcontinent.

To practice metta meditation, you sit still, remain relaxed and send feelings of love to yourself. After a period of time, you begin extending this love to the people in your home, then to the people who live in your city, your country, the planet and eventually, the entire universe.

---

Altruistic heroes are devoted to helping others, and don’t like public recognition or awards.

Most people enjoy recognition for doing good deeds. Yet from the perspective of a true altruist, simply doing his part to help is what’s important – recognition doesn’t matter.

That’s because heroes do what’s necessary, regardless of the danger to themselves; when that task is accomplished, they don’t try to remain in the spotlight.

For instance, a child was once snatched from his mother by a mountain lion while the family was hiking in the mountains in California. A nearby hiker overheard the mother screaming for help. He tracked the lion, confronted it and rescued the child.

Afterwards, the hiker simply went on his way, not desiring any thanks or reward for his act of heroism.

People who perform such selfless acts of compassion often dislike public recognition. So while it’s common for people to be grateful toward those who save lives and to share stories of their feats, altruistic people avoid being the center of attention.

For example, many people who helped Jewish families escape from the persecutions of the Nazi regime during World War II wouldn’t even give interviews after the fact, feeling that the public awards they received for bravery were entirely beside the point.

In fact, becoming famous for altruistic behavior or challenging the status quo can work against an individual. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader of the civil rights movement in America, yet was assassinated when he was at the peak of his influence and good work.

His tragic death is a reminder that even those who devote their lives to doing good for the many in society can fall at the hands of a single person.

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To make society more altruistic, it’s crucial to fight inequality at all levels.

So you can cultivate altruism within yourself, but what about doing good on a collective level?

This requires a basic level of resources that allows each and every person to care for themselves and their family. Unfortunately, our current economic system creates and maintains levels of inequality that will need to change to foster a more harmonious and altruistic society.

A major source of inequality is income. In fact, most countries have huge discrepancies when it comes to the distribution of wealth. For instance, in the United States, the richest 1 percent of society owns 40 percent of all the country’s wealth. Just 25 years ago, this same percentage owned only 13 percent of all the country’s wealth.

What’s more, many of this top 1 percent earn their fortunes by exploiting people and the environment.

Inequality breeds distrust, making altruism difficult to cultivate. For example, in 2004, 40 percent of US citizens answered “yes” to the question, “Do you think that you can trust most people?” But 60 percent had answered “yes” to that same question in 1960.

The difference shows a decrease in the level of trust over just a few decades, a period that directly corresponds to the increase in income inequality in the United States.

In fact, many of the inequalities we face today are perpetuated by the economic system itself. That’s because laissez-faire economics dominates our current thinking. Such a system is founded on the idea that the economy can be made stronger by encouraging more inequality.

The logic is that in such an environment, people work harder to better themselves, thereby producing more wealth that will in turn somehow benefit everyone.

However, as we’ve seen time and time again, selfish thinking only produces misery, and the inequality it fosters hurts rather than helps society.

Actually, such thinking even hurts wealthy people, too. Just consider all the celebrities who made their fortunes through egotistic self-promotion, only to end up haunted by drug addiction and relationship problems.

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The drive to perform altruistic deeds is constant and real, even amid difficult or dangerous times.

Plenty of people enjoy lending a hand. While you might think such individuals are the exceptions to the rule, if you take a closer look, you’ll see that generosity abounds in the world.

In fact, both individual and collective altruism are much more prevalent than one might think.

For instance, since the end of World War II, there has been a marked increase in the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the globe, many of them founded with altruistic intentions, such as Greenpeace and Doctors Without Borders.

In the United States alone, the number of NGOs has doubled since 2000.

And the country with the most NGOs? India, with over 3 million!

Individuals too are doing good, and celebrities who use their public profile and influence to perform altruistic deeds offer a great example to others. For instance, former US President Bill Clinton has inspired many positive environmental projects, such as inventing the Energy Star icon, a symbol that designates whether an appliance is energy-efficient.

What’s more surprising is that many people tend to engage in mutual aid during tough times. That’s because, paradoxically, when your life is threatened you tend to fight for the survival of others as well, even to the point of helping them more than yourself.

For instance, Hurricane Katrina brought the people of New Orleans together to support each other, despite the individual risks and costs. So while reporters predicted after the storm that the city would succumb to chaos, actually the opposite happened. Citizens formed groups and supported one another until official rescue teams arrived.

Extreme situations, such as a fire, offer another example of how altruistic acts can be triggered. In such an event, people will jump into action to find fire extinguishers, warn others to stay away and in general act with great rationality and clarity. In fact, people who panic in such situations are actually rare!

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Altruism and education are deeply intertwined, and both are essential to building a better future.

We all hope for a brighter tomorrow, even though the world is full of challenges, few of which we can surmount alone. Learning from one another and building empathetic collaboration are two principles that are essential to the success of a peaceful society.

But what do we need to do to put these principles into practice?

One essential element is cooperative learning. This method benefits an entire group, and is often more effective than individual learning.

Robert Pléty, a professor of math and researcher at the University of Lyon in France, decided to group his poorest-performing students together. Learning cooperatively, the group managed to significantly increase their understanding of many subjects. This shows how cooperative learning is effective, as a single student alone would have failed; but together, they all succeeded.

But how can we teach with empathy and encourage better collaboration?

It’s not knowledge or rhetorical skills that make a teacher great, but rather the ability to listen to and care for students. Children are inherently responsive, not easily misled and will readily disrespect a teacher who fails to show empathy.

American educator Mark Greenberg proved in one study that being an empathetic teacher doesn’t just inspire better test results but can also lead to a marked decrease in vandalism and violence among students.

With this knowledge in mind, it’s essential that our schools invest more time and energy into communicating humanistic values, in order to build compassion among students. Putting such values into practice in the classroom daily helps students not only mature but also learn more.

For example, despite being located in a poor suburb of Oxford, Kidlington Primary School consistently produces better test results than the British national average.

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Despite all the strife in the world, if you look around you’ll notice that acts of cooperation and altruism are indeed everywhere. Once you recognize the kindness and empathy that is inherent in all people, you can incorporate altruism more holistically in your life through meditation, helping others and concentrating on the interconnectedness of all things.

Actionable advice:

Meditate, it helps you stay young!

Did you know that meditating can actually have anti-aging effects? Participants in Allan Wallace’s Shamatha Project who meditated six hours a day for three months showed considerably higher levels of telomerase, an enzyme associated with slowing the aging of cells.

[Joren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een dik stevig boek van 750 pagina's. Uiteraard staat het uitgebreid stil bij wat altruïsme is en wat de grondbeginselen zijn. Maar het heeft ook veel aandacht voor de tegenhanger; egoïsme. Verder is er veel aandacht voor altruïsme als basis voor de maatschappij en het cultiveren van dit altruïsme. Zo vond ik de economie van wederkerigheid erg interessant. Er worden in het hele boek veel onderzoeken en experimenten aangehaald en uitgelegd.

"Echt geluk is onlosmakelijk verbonden met altruïsme, want altruisme maakt deel uit van een essentiële goedheid die vergezeld gaat met het diepe verlangen dat iedereen tot volledige ontplooiing mag komen. Die liefde is altijd beschikbaar en komt voort uit eenvoud, rust en onwankelbare kracht van een goed hart."

[Douglass Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first picked up a copy of Altruism the science and psychology of kindness in a San Francisco bookstore, I had been a physician for nearly forty years. I was embarrassed to consider that I was not sure how to define the term altruism. I was pretty sure that I had rarely heard or used the word during four years of medical school and more than seven years of post-medical school training. Now, I have been a physician for fifty years, and I have written and published a professional memoir. I am working on another book to reconsider the doctor–patient relationship after having experienced relationships with thousands of patients. I think a chapter on altruism, compassion, empathy, kindness, and love should be my next book’s summary chapter. It is overdue to finally read and summarize for myself, Altruism... by Matthieu Ricard.
Tibetan Buddhist monk, molecular geneticist, and acclaimed author (The Monk and the Philosopher; The Quantum and the Lotus; Buddhist Himalayas; Journey to Enlightenment) Matthieu Ricard wrote an encyclopedic text, Altruism the Psychology and Science of Kindness. He investigated and reviewed vast literatures of scientific (including brain biochemistry, genetics, and functional imaging), psychological, philosophic, and spiritual (theological and non-theological spiritual practice) material. His book makes many important contributions. Too many for this reader.
After ten years of intermittent reading and rereading, I took away three main things from Altruism the science and psychology of kindness:
1. What is altruism? How does altruism relate to Benevolence? Kindness? Compassion? Caring? Solidarity? Fraternity? Prosocial behavior?
2. How does altruism emerge among individuals and groups? Can individuals and groups cultivate altruism, kindness, and prosocial behaviors?
3. What are the obstacles, or contrary forces, that work against altruism, in both individuals and groups?

Matthieu Ricard defines altruism as ‘the willingness to act for another’, and tells us that it is of central importance in attempts to solve the ‘big’ problems of our world. He likens altruism to a number of concepts:
• goodness as a way of being;
• benevolence - a favorable disposition towards others;
• kindness – a form of caring;
• fraternity –feeling part of a community
• solidarity - a feeling of shared values.
• altruistic love - ‘the wish that all beings find happiness’.
• “loving-kindness and compassion are the two faces of altruism”
• empathy - ‘feeling another from within’. Empathy can have both affective and cognitive components. Empathy plays a critical role in learning to understand another person’s perspectives or viewpoints
• compassion - the wish for another to be free of suffering
• sincere altruism whereby one ‘walks the walk’ and pseudo or performative altruism whereby one ‘talks the talk’.

He instructs us about various categories of altruism, such as:
• selfish altruism versus selfless altruism Ricard suggests that self-interested altruism can lead to a generalized form of reciprocity wherein one works for the double benefit of our own interests and others’ interests.
• maternal or conditional altruism versus unconditional altruism or extended (impartial) altruism
• sympathy which includes feelings of affinity, harmony, and kindness toward another
• pity which may be an egocentric form of commiseration that can be perceived as condescending
• biologic (maternal) empathy versus extended, or impartial empathy, which he says can be developed through meditation and benevolent actions

Can we, as individuals and as a society, nurture these qualities? He tells us that individuals affect their culture and society, just as society helps shape us as individuals. He provides a review of the biology of neuroplasticity and the potential for individual change. He reviews functional MRI studies which purport to show brain structural changes in response to meditative practices. He also reviews the philosophic and religious histories of societies with enhanced and limited altruism, respectively. He includes psychological and sociological studies to support the main thesis that positive evolution toward prosocial behavior is indeed possible. He then summarizes the literature on meditation, which among other things includes some of the mindfulness-based stress reduction work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and others. Loving-kindness meditation and works of kindness and caring are among the major means of encouraging the emergence of altruism the author recommends.
I found Ricard’s catalogs of some of the opposing forces to altruism (and empathy, kindness, and compassion) to be helpful. These contrary forces include:
• Egocentrism – the notion of belonging to a particular group, be it family, ethnic group, religion, etc., creates a gap between self and others. It is the opposite of solidarity or altruism. For Buddhists, who accept the interconnectedness of everything, the mental construct of a separate ego is a needless source of confusion or ignorance.
• Individualism and narcissism
• Champions of selfishness, including Hobbes, Machiavelli, Ayn Rand, and Donald Trump, are described.
• Self–hatred versus self–compassion: This construct is particularly important to healthcare providers in light of burnout. The necessity for self–love prior to being able to love anyone else, or of self-compassion as a prerequisite to compassion for others, has been emphasized by Brené Brown. It is neither obvious nor intuitive to many.
• Shortfall of empathy - The author argues that empathy may be exhausted or burned out. He defines burnout as 1) emotional exhaustion; 2) cynicism and insensitivity; and 3) loss of feeling of personal accomplishment and self-realization. In contrast, he tells us that compassion can be regenerated, but should not be practiced at the expense of one’s mental and physical health. This chapter also defines groups who are deficient in empathy such as narcissists, subjects with an array of personality disorders, and psychopaths. It seems to be moot as to whether some subjects in these groups can effect much change with either mindfulness-based meditation or cognitive behavioral therapy.
• Origins of violence is another extensive chapter that includes reviews and summaries of a large literature. Included topics are hatred, revenge, and the psychological disturbances covered in the previous chapter including narcissism and psychopathy. There are discussions of dogmatic and judgmental religious and philosophic movements in perpetrating violence and the contribution of various media.
• ‘Natural’ repugnance to killing – Ricard argues that our ‘default’ is against killing another human, but this can be overcome by conditioning including declarations of war and otherizing one’s enemies or opponents.
• Dehumanizing the ‘other’ – This chapter describes desensitization, compartmentalization, disgust or contempt, appeals to authority, and responding against genocide.
Several of the chapters in this section seem to have been included in the pursuit of completeness. It seems to me that many questions the author has raised are simply too complicated and debatable for chapters in a larger book. I would favor separate books, or simply including a reading list to start readers on their own searches of topics such as:
• Has war always existed?
• Is animal experimentation ethical? Does the benefit to humanity from animal experimentation justify its performance?
• institutionalized selfishness that includes everything from oil and gas companies to big Pharma…

Similarly, the final section, ‘ building a more altruistic society’, includes interesting ideas about a variety of topics, each of which might ‘fill a book’.
• Virtues of cooperation
• An enlightened education
• Fighting inequality
• Towards a caring economy
• Voluntary, joyous simplicity
• Altruism for future generations
• Sustainable harmony
• Local commitment, global responsibility

At the end of multiple efforts, over a decade, to read this book, it has nurtured some positive evolution in my thinking and (I hope) behavior. I recommend Altruism the science and psychology of kindness highly to people who want to make positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. I also recommend reading selectively on topics of interest. As a physician, I think that an understanding of altruism and related concepts might have been a powerful antidote to the excesses of competition, individualism, and selfishness that permeated my medical education and much of my career.

As Matthieu Ricard implies, ‘old dogs can indeed learn new tricks’. Better late than never.

[Dmitri Colebatch · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lovely set of information on a topic I passionately care about, but the book is written like a sermon with no feedback loop and reminds me of a boring lecture. Too much strained effort to make the author's point of view "valid" by way of research that is either not directly supporting the author's view, or is sketchy at best. It isn't clear what the author is advocating for, and my initial hopes for this book have been massively let down.

[Daniel Rickenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute must read if one is interested in more than a "Fox News" perspective of the world. I feel deeply moved after completing this work. It's importance speaks for itself. I'm glad some obscure librarian had this book on display at my local library. I will always treasure this find. It has deeply impacted my life.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ricard presents an reasonably uncontroversial thesis: Altruism leads to a better world, so building altruistic institutions is the moral thing to do. Unfortunately, he is a little bit too credulous of Social Science (and particularly small-sample experimental social science). Fine, but not recommended.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was really good. I do think that there were some problems, though. I wasn't quite convinced by his argument that there's altruism in nature. There's some, but there's also a lot of predatory behavior. But I do think that book is needed and worthwhile.

[Keith Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep and powerful

One of the best books I have read in a long time. This well researched, lengthy tome shows so much about humanity and our potential. I do not know how this book will ultimately change my life,but I know it will.

[Stephane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good book, though a little long, and it goes off topic quite often. In the west we have this idea that Altruism has a secret layer of self-interest hiding beneath it. The book addresses this in chapter 13, though I wish it did so upfront.

[Verena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for everyone.

[Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Read' as an audiobook...recommend it consumed that way - though an exhaustive conversation, not difficult to digest.