Becoming An Empathic Civilization
By Jeremy Rifkin
05 November, 2010
YES! Magazine
Economist Jeremy Rifkin believes we can do it, and now he's got cartoons to show why
Jeremy Rifkin, economist and founder of The Foundation on Economic Trends, believes it is possible to expand the reach of our empathy to the entire human race, and beyond. He cites new research showing that humans are soft-wired with mirror neurons that cause us to empathize with one another. This emotion has evolved over time: What began as a feeling reserved for those of the same family has expanded to those of the same tribe, to religion, to nation.
Video created by The RSA, with Jeremy Rifkin and Cognitive Media
Interested?
We Are Hard-Wired to Care and Connect: Recent research has shown that our brains are made to support caring, cooperation, and service.
Video: Brett Dennen's Empathy Song: Musician Brett Dennen sings for the Mosaic Project, a program focused on building positive relationships based on respect.
Compassion Comes First: Seattle makes a 10-year commitment to become a more compassionate city.
YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
