Evolution Explains Kindness—even When It Kills Us : Paul Bloom

This interview is an episode from The Well, the new publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the John Templeton Foundation.

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There are several misperceptions about evolution, one of which is that it would drive animals toward being selfish, uncaring, and unloving toward others.

But there are several ways in which kindness and altruism can evolve through natural selection.

Two ways are kin selection (helping those who share the genes, like family members) and reciprocal altruism (helping those with whom we are in regular contact). In this way, a system of universal morals can develop.

Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/the-well/evolution-of-kindness/

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About Paul Bloom:
Paul Bloom is the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Psychology at Yale University. An internationally recognized expert on the psychology of child development, social reasoning, and morality, he has won numerous awards for his research, writing, and teaching. Bloom’s previous books include Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil and How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like, and he has written for Science, Nature, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

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