The Brighter Side of Human Nature: Altruism and Empathy in Everyday Life

by Alfie Kohn

Drawing from hundreds of studies in half a dozen fields, The Brighter Side of Human Nature makes a powerful case that caring and generosity are just as natural as selfishness and aggression. This lively refutation of cynical assumptions about our species considers the nature of empathy and the causes of war, why we (incorrectly) explain all behavior in terms of self-interest, and how we can teach children to care.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Parenting, Science, Education, Politics

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 1990

About the author

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of fourteen books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations.

Kohn's criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores."

Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area with his wife and two children, and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

Reviews

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfie Kohn takes on biological determinism and pessimism about human nature in this comprehensive and well-documented book. He shows that all of the scientific evidence shows that human nature exists not as a boundary but as a field of possibilities, and that we are not innately directed toward either good or evil. He also shows how pessimism about human nature leads to the preservation of the status quo and protects the powerful interests that structure our world in terms of political, social, and economic reforms - after all, what is the point of reforming the world is you are simply running against an innate, unchanging human nature? Refusing to be either dystopian or utopian about humanity, Kohn nevertheless holds out the potential of structuring our lives in such a way that benefits all and improves the health, quality of life, and existence of everyone.

[Aster · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a year where it's been too easy to get discouraged while seeing people acting selfishly and putting others in danger, this book was a nice reminder that this is not inevitable and that people have as much capacity to be kind as cruel. It doesn't offer any easy solutions to the problem, but it does give hope and that is something that I know I can definitely use right now. The book ends by reprinting The Seville Statement on Violence from 1986, which itself ends with this:

"We conclude that biology does not condemn humanity to war, and that humanity can be freed from the bondage of biological pessimism and empowered with confidence to undertake the transformative tasks needed in this International Year of Peace and in the years to come. Although these tasks are mainly institutional and collective, they also rest upon the consciousness of individual participants for whom pessimism and optimism are crucial factors. Just as 'wars begin in the minds of men,' peace also begins in our minds. The same species [that] invented war is capable of inventing peace. The responsibility lies with each of us."

[Tanya Ivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, highly recommended book available to read for free on archive.org. I simply love anything (books and articles) by philosophic liberation educator Alfie Kohn.

[Kemlo]

DNF