Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along PDF
Preview Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along
PRAISE FOR Survival of the Nicest “This wonderful book could be read as a scientific explanation for a moral imperative to be kind to others. But it is so much more! Stefan Klein, an enticing storyteller, marshals the evidence for the value of altruism—not only to one’s family but, much more interestingly, to one’s self and one’s tribe. Altruism is truly contagious!” —Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate, poet, and Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters Emeritus, Cornell University “A scholarly tour de force about why generosity makes good sense, Survival of the Nicest is also compulsively readable. Klein argues convincingly that helping others is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.” —Elizabeth Svoboda, author of What Makes a Hero?: The Surprising Science of Selflessness “A thought-provoking and comprehensive review of the research on altruism, Survival of the Nicest validates humanistic principles and has far-reaching implications for today’s world—especially for US politics and culture. An inspiration!” —Rebecca Hale, president, American Humanist Association, and co-owner of EvolveFISH.com “An important contribution to the field of altruism and altruistic behavior and to a better and nicer world. I highly recommend this book.” —Samuel P. Oliner, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Humboldt State University, and founder and director, The Altruistic Personality and Prosocial Behavior Institute “In Survival of the Nicest, Stefan Klein poses three questions central to social science and ethics: (1) How is unselfishness possible? (2) What moves us to help others? And (3) why are some people more helpful than others? His wide-ranging answers to these questions suggest that altruism is born into us and that selflessness actually both makes us happy and will transform the world.” —Kristen Renwick Monroe, Chancellor’s Professor, University of California, Irvine, and author of The Heart of Altruism ALSO BY STEFAN KLEIN Leonardo’s Legacy: How Da Vinci Reimagined the World The Secret Pulse of Time: Making Sense of Life’s Scarcest Commodity The Science of Happiness: How Our Brains Make Us Happy—and What We Can Do to Get Happier Survival of the Nicest How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along STEFAN KLEIN TRANSLATED BY DAVID DOLLENMAYER NEW YORK Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along Copyright © Stefan Klein, 2010, 2014 Translation © David Dollenmayer, 2014 “The Mask of Evil,” originally published in German as “Die Maske des Bösen.” Copyright 1943 by Bertolt-Brecht-Erben / Suhrkamp Verlag, from Collected Poems of Bertolt Brecht. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation. Translation for this edition by David Dollenmayer. Illustrations courtesy of Karen Giangreco, after Hermann Hülsenberg, Berlin. All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Originally published in 2010 in German, in slightly different form, by S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am Main. The Experiment, LLC 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 301 New York, NY 10010–4674 www.theexperimentpublishing.com The Experiment’s books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fundraising or educational use. For details, contact us at [email protected]. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and The Experiment was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been capitalized. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Klein, Stefan, 1965- [Sinn des Gebens. English] Survival of the nicest : how altruism made us human and why it pays to get along / Stefan Klein ; translated by David Dollenmayer. pages cm Translation of: Der Sinn des Gebens : warum Selbstlosigkeit in der Evolution siegt und wir mit Egoismus nicht weiterkommen. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61519-090-4 (cloth) -- ISBN 978-1-61519-181-9 (ebook) 1. Altruism. 2. Cooperation. 3. Evolutionary psychology. I. Title. BF637.H4K57 2014 BF637.H4K57 2014 155.7--dc23 2013024044 ISBN 978-1-61519-090-4 Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-181-9 Cover design by Alison Forner Cover image and image on pages 1 and 93 © Rossella Apostoli | Alamy and Sabri Deniz Kizil | Shutterstock Text design by Pauline Neuwirth, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc. Distributed by Workman Publishing Company, Inc. Distributed simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen and Son Ltd. First printing January 2014 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Elias Contents Introduction PART I: YOU AND I CHAPTER 1: The Unexplained Friendliness of the World CHAPTER 2: Give and Take CHAPTER 3: Building Trust CHAPTER 4: Feelings Without Borders CHAPTER 5: There Is Only One Love PART II: ALL OF US CHAPTER 6: Humans Share, Animals Don’t CHAPTER 7: It’s the Principle of the Thing CHAPTER 8: Us Against Them CHAPTER 9: The Evil in Goodness CHAPTER 10: The Golden Rule CHAPTER 11: The Triumph of Selflessness EPILOGUE: The Joy of Giving Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments About the Author
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