Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World

by Matthieu Ricard

Overview

The author of the international bestseller Happiness makes a passionate case for altruism — and why we need it now more than ever.

In Happiness, Matthieu Ricard demonstrated that true happiness is not tied to fleeting moments or sensations, but is an enduring state of soul rooted in mindfulness and compassion for others. Now he turns his lens from the personal to the global, with a rousing argument that altruism — genuine concern for the well-being of others — could be the saving grace of the 21st century. It is, he believes, the vital thread that can answer the main challenges of our time: the economy in the short term, life satisfaction in the mid-term, and environment in the long term.

Ricard's message has been taken up by major economists and thinkers, including Dennis Snower, Amartya Sen, Joseph Stiglitz, and George Soros. Matthieu Ricard makes a robust and passionate case for cultivating altruistic love and compassion as the best means for simultaneously benefitting ourselves and our society. It's a fresh outlook on an ardent struggle — and one that just might make the world a better place.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316208239
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	06/14/2016
Pages:	864
Sales rank:	466,166
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk, an author, translator, and photographer. He has lived, studied, and worked in the Himalayan region for over forty years. The son of French philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le Toumelin, Matthieu was born in France in 1946 and grew up among the personalities and ideas of Paris' intellectual and artistic circles. He earned a Ph.D. degree in cell genetics at the renowned Institut Pasteur under the Nobel Laureate Francois Jacob.

In 1967, he traveled to India to meet great spiritual masters from Tibet. After completing his doctoral thesis in 1972, he decided to concentrate on Buddhist studies and practice. Since then, he has lived in India, Bhutan, and Nepal and studied with some of the greatest teachers of that tradition. He is the author of several books including The Monk and the Philosopher, a dialogue with his father; The Quantum and the Lotus, a dialogue with the astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan; Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill; and Why Meditate? His books have been translated into over twenty languages.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

I What Is Altruism?

1 The Nature of Altruism 15

2 Extending Altruism 24

3 What Is Empathy? 39

4 From Empathy to Compassion in a Neuroscience Laboratory 56

5 Love, Supreme Emotion 65

6 The Accomplishment of a Twofold Benefit, Our Own and Others' 76

7 Self-Interested Altruism and Generalized Reciprocity 83

8 Selfless Altruism 89

9 The Banality of Good 94

10 Altruistic Heroism 103

11 Unconditional Altruism 110

12 Beyond Imitations, True Altruism: An Experimental Investigation 120

13 The Philosophical Arguments Against Universal Selfishness 137

II The Emergence of Altruism

14 Altruism in Theories of Evolution 151

15 Maternal Love, Foundation for Extended Altruism? 171

16 The Evolution of Cultures 177

17 Altruistic Behavior Among Animals 183

18 Altruism Among Children 208

19 Prosocial Behavior 225

III Cultivating Altruism

20 Can We Change? 239

21 Training the Mind: What the Cognitive Sciences Have to Say 247

22 How to Cultivate Altruism: Meditations on Altruistic Love, Compassion, Joy, and Impartiality 260

IV Contrary Forces

23 Egocentrism and Crystallization of the Ego 271

24 The Spread of Individualism and Narcissism 281

25 The Champions of Selfishness 299

26 Having Hatred or Compassion for Yourself 314

27 The Shortfall of Empathy 322

28 At the Origin of Violence: Devaluing the Other 339

29 The Natural Repugnance to Kill 374

30 Dehumanizing the Other: Massacres and Genocides 388

31 Has War Always Existed? 412

32 The Decline of Violence 426

33 The Instrumentalization of Animals: A Moral Aberration 455

34 Backfire: Effects of the Meat Industry on Poverty, Environment, and Health 470

35 Institutionalized Selfishness 480

V Building a More Altruistic Society

36 The Virtues of Cooperation 515

37 An Enlightened Education 532

38 Fighting Inequality 552

39 Toward a Caring Economy 563

40 Voluntary, Joyous Simplicity 604

41 Altruism for the Sake of Future Generations 616

42 Sustainable Harmony 657

43 Local Commitment, Global Responsibility 675

Conclusion: Daring Altruism 690

Acknowledgments 695

Karuna-Shechen: Altruism in Action 699

Notes 701

Sources for Figures 833

Select Bibliography 837

What People are Saying About This

Jon Kabat-Zinn

“This remarkable book is an extremely well-documented and elegantly argued plea for altruism, kindness, and compassion in order to address the primarily human-inflicted suffering and sorrow in this world. What is usually unknown or ignored is that altruism is a cultivatable skill, a way of being that can and needs to be chosen to optimize our well-being as both individuals and as a species. If you doubt that, just read this book. Even little snippets will blow your mind and inspire you, as Matthieu puts it, to change yourself and the world.” --Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Coming to Our Senses

Daniel Kahneman

Matthieu Ricard is an extraordinary human being, whose luminous presence and gentle voice have a surprising effect: they compel respect for his benign view of life and make routine cynicism impossible.

—Daniel Kahneman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and author of Thinking Fast and Slow

Daniel Goleman

Matthieu Ricard is a genius for our times, a rare combination of scientific brilliance with the heart of a saint.

—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

Jane Goodall

Altruism is just what is needed to bring hope to those depressed by the violence, war, selfishness and corruption that surround us today. Matthieu Ricard provides convincing evidence based on both careful research and personal experience that altruism is an integral part of our nature with the desire to help others not only present in small children, but also in many animals. ALTRUISM addresses how these qualities can be cultivated and enhanced in the individual and how a more altruistic society is not only possible but essential if we care about the future. Matthieu, thank you for writing this book.

—Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace, founder of Roots and Shoots, and noted author

Editorial Reviews

"Altruism is divided into short, cogent chapters, making it surprisingly accessible, despite its massive dimensions. Much of the book is derivative but nonetheless immensely useful, an encyclopedic synthesis of evidence and examples from current events, books, scientific papers and personal experiences.... The numerous individual stories [Ricard] recounts are inspiring and often downright gripping, such as the California man who fought off a lion to rescue a small child.... Altruism is a careful, detailed, hard-nosed assessment of what is needed both for individual happiness and for the welfare of the planet.... This book is so rich, so diverse and, yes, so long that it is best kept as an inspiring resource to be consulted over many years."—David Barash, Wall Street Journal

"Matthieu Ricard brings together ancient wisdom and scientific insights to put forth a truly compelling global vision for the 21st century, cutting through our endless distractions and asking, 'What is a good life?' At a time when we as individuals and as a society have largely abandoned that question, his voice, his message and his wisdom are greatly needed."—Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post and author of Thrive

"Matthieu Ricard is an extraordinary human being, whose luminous presence and gentle voice have a surprising effect: they compel respect for his benign view of life and make routine cynicism impossible."—Daniel Kahneman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and author of Thinking Fast and Slow

"Altruism is just what is needed to bring hope to those depressed by the violence, war, selfishness and corruption that surround us today. Matthieu Ricard provides convincing evidence based on both careful research and personal experience that altruism is an integral part of our nature with the desire to help others not only present in small children, but also in many animals. Altruism addresses how these qualities can be cultivated and enhanced in the individual and how a more altruistic society is not only possible but essential if we care about the future. Matthieu, thank you for writing this book."—Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace, founder of Roots and Shoots, and noted author

"[A] life-changing volume."—Cherilyn Parsons, San Francisco Chronicle

"Matthieu Ricard is a genius for our times, a rare combination of scientific brilliance with the heart of a saint."—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

"Written with deep conviction and breathtaking scope, this is a must-book for anyone who wants to explore the human capacity for altruistic love and compassion, and the potential of this capacity to transform our lives. In conversation with Western philosophical and scientific perspectives, the book offers a Buddhist vision for extending altruism beyond its natural limits through carefully crafted meditation practices. The goal is, quite simply, to enable you and me, our society, and all sentient beings to experience less suffering and greater happiness. Could one desire more?"—Daniel C. Batson, author of Altruism in Humans

"Who better to tell us about altruism than a Buddhist monk and scientist, who has meditated so extensively on compassion that it has changed the left side of his brain? In a lively and personal account, Matthieu Ricard takes us through the origins of empathy and altruism, explaining how biology laid the foundation, whereas culture and spirituality permit us to expand its reach."—Frans de Waal, author of The Age of Empathy

"This remarkable book is an extremely well-documented and elegantly argued plea for altruism, kindness, and compassion in order to address the primarily human-inflicted suffering and sorrow in this world. What is usually unknown or ignored is that altruism is a cultivatable skill, a way of being that can and needs to be chosen to optimize our well-being as both individuals and as a species. If you doubt that, just read this book. Even little snippets will blow your mind and inspire you, as Matthieu puts it, to change yourself and the world."—Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Coming to Our Senses

"Ricard's book, full of good behavior on the part of humans-and other animals-is of a piece with Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature in suggesting that we don't have to be rotten. Inspirational in all the right ways..."—Kirkus

"Matthieu Ricard brings a breadth and depth of reflection and research that offers hope for our global family. He never shies away from hard truth. This wonderful gift, as sweeping in its scope as it is precise in its analysis, illuminates our common humanity."—John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University

"What a magnificent masterpiece. I am inspired all over again! This is an important contribution to our conception of human nature."—Dennis Snower, President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy

"Well known for the generosity of its welfare state, Europe is feeling a fair share of 'compassion fatigue' these days as a result of three crises on its doorstep.... Europe's current hand-wringing is, at heart, a lesson about its giving spirit.... In a new book entitled Altruism, French thinker Matthieu Ricard makes a case for acknowledging what he calls the 'banality of good,' or recognizing that behavior such as generosity is commonplace and punctuates the daily lives of people. The book is a timely message as Europe struggles with these big decisions."—Christian Science Monitor

"[A] tour de force [that] brings together science, religion and history to explore the nature of compassion."—Carolyn Gregoire, Huffington Post

"The idea that money and possessions do not make us happy has become the new common sense. Instead, people now seek experiences as well as a kind of spirituality-lite, such as the secular practice of mindfulness. No wonder the scientist and Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard's book Altruism has become a huge bestseller. The promise of its subtitle is that, by developing compassion, you can 'change yourself and the world.'"—Julian Baggini, New Statesman

"A careful collection of research, literature, and theory on altruism.... Altruism is the final domino that launches Ricard into view as one of the most notable, visible altruists of recent years."—Ashley Karlin, Los Angeles Review of Books

From the Publisher

Dan Woren’s vocal calmness and smooth phrasing create a compelling performance of this thoughtful book, translated from French, about how to become a better human being. Woren’s pacing has the distinctive quality of being slow and determined without sounding labored or overdramatic. The life quest of the author, a long-serving French translator for the Dalai Lama, is to use the traditions of Buddhism, science, and Western philosophy to balance the contemplative life with serving others effectively. His colorful international stories embody the wisdom of many spiritual leaders and tell us that compassion without action is hypocritical. Advocating that we cultivate an appreciation for the future of our planet as well as for each passing moment, he says we need to make the combination of compassion and altruism a continuing part of our culture. T.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

JULY 2015 - AudioFile

2015-04-27
An overlong but vigorous gloss on the Dalai Lama's famous remark, "My religion is kindness." Former geneticist and longtime Buddhist monk Ricard (Happiness, 2012, etc.) sets out to prove that true altruism exists, but he winds up exploring nearly the whole of human nature. His task is compounded by the Hobbesian mood of the age, when the individualistic mode is one of "irresponsible selfishness and rampant narcissism, to the detriment of the well-being of all." However, altruism means many things to many people. Ricard generally agrees with researchers who hold that it is the motivation and not the "intensity" involved that counts: for it to matter, in other words, altruism is less the instinctual sacrifice of throwing oneself atop a hand grenade in a foxhole than the self-negation that comes, in one of the author's examples, with abandoning a promising white-collar career in order to dig wells for impoverished villagers. One great virtue of this virtuous book is Ricard's ability to poke holes in received wisdom. For example, he observes that while some abused children become abusers as adults, more often, they decide to "do the opposite of their parents when they have children." Sometimes, the author is imprecise: cutting down on meat consumption won't really "prevent 14% of deaths in the world," since all of us die; perhaps he means death will be forestalled in that many cases. Elsewhere, Ricard ranges too far in quest of examples; his revisiting of the Holocaust-era extermination squads Christopher Browning writes about in Ordinary Men (1992) draws perhaps the wrong conclusion, for the opposite of that murder would not be guilty weeping but instead a policeman's taking the place of a victim. Still, Ricard's book, full of good behavior on the part of humans—and other animals—is of a piece with Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011) in suggesting that we don't have to be rotten. Inspirational in all the right ways but a challenge to get through it all.

Kirkus Reviews