Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

I recently came across a review of the book, The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society (2009) by Frans de Waal, a renowned primatologist. The author indicates that we are born with a sense of morality, i.e., our morals are inherent. That was good news to me.

The GR description says: "Using research from the fields of anthropology, psychology, animal behaviour, and neuroscience, de Waal brilliantly argues that humans are group animals — highly cooperative, sensitive to injustice, and mostly peace-loving — just like other primates, elephants, and dolphins."
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65...

"Based on years of observing nonhuman primates, de Waal argues that human morality would be impossible without certain emotional building blocks that are clearly at work in chimp and monkey societies."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/boo...

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"On the basis of a fascinating and provocative account of the remarkable continuities between the social emotions of humans and of nonhuman primates, de Waal develops a compelling case for the evolutionary roots of human morality." -Harry G. Frankfurt

"Empathy, de Waal says, is one of our most innate capacities, one that likely evolved from mammalian parental care. It begins in the body, a deep unconscious synchrony between mother and child that sets the tone for so many mammalian interactions. When someone smiles, we smile; when they yawn, we yawn; emotion is contagious." -Jeff Warren

"A pioneer in primate studies, Frans de Waal sees our better side in chimps, especially our capacity for empathy. In his research, Dr. de Waal has gathered ample evidence that our ability to identify with another's distress -- a catalyst for compassion and charity -- has deep roots in the origin of our species. It is a view independently reinforced by recent biomedical studies showing that our brains are built to feel another's pain." -Robert Lee Hotz
ABOVE QUOTES ARE FROM: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307...
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"By studying social behaviors in animals, such as bonding, the herd instinct, the forming of trusting alliances, expressions of consolation, and conflict resolution, Frans de Waal demonstrates that animals–and humans–are 'preprogrammed to reach out.' He has found that chimpanzees care for mates that are wounded by leopards, elephants offer "reassuring rumbles" to youngsters in distress, and dolphins support sick companions near the water's surface to prevent them from drowning. From day one humans have innate sensitivities to faces, bodies, and voices; we've been designed to feel for one another."
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"De Waal has witnessed firsthand the brutality of darker instincts in primates, and he has long acknowledged that aggression and hierarchical structures are also adaptive responses to environmental pressures. What he really seeks to encourage with this book is a more an honest assessment of human nature -- one that will serve us all for the better."
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"Throughout the book, de Waal illustrates how behaving more like our wild mammalian cousins may just save humanity. His contention, colored by philosophical musings and fascinating anecdotes of observed emotional connections between animals, argues persuasively that humans are not greedy or belligerent because animals are; such traits are far from organic or inevitable but patently manmade."
ABOVE QUOTES ARE FROM: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/book...
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Below is a link to a thought-provoking article written by de Waal:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/...
(This article contains anecdotal examples showing the existence of empathy in animals.)