Visions of Compassion Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists Examine Human Nature

by Davidson, Richard J.; Harrington, Anne

• ISBN13: 9780195130430
• ISBN10: 019513043X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-12-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book examines how Western behavioral science--which has generally focused on negative aspects of human nature--holds up to cross-cultural scrutiny, in particular the Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the human potential for altruism, empathy, and compassion. Resulting from a meeting between the Dalai Lama, leading Western scholars, and a group of Tibetan monks, this volume includes excerpts from these extraordinary dialogues as well as engaging essays exploring points of difference and overlap between the two perspectives.

Author Biography

Richard J. Davidson is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin. He is co-author or editor of seven books and is a Core Member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mind-Body Interactions. Anne Harrington is Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. She is the Associate Director of the Harvard University Mind/Brain/Behavior Initiative and a Core Member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mind-Body Interactions.

Table of Contents

Contributors	xi
PART I: HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND
Training the Mind: First Steps in a Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Neuroscientific Research	3	(15)
Zara Houshmand
Anne Harrington
Clifford Saron
Richard J. Davidson
A Science of Compassion or a Compassionate Science? What Do We Expect from a Cross-Cultural Dialogue with Buddhism?	18	(13)
Anne Harrington
Is Compassion an Emotion? A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Mental Typologies	31	(15)
Georges Dreyfus
Kindness and Cruelty in Evolution	46	(20)
Elliott Sober
Understanding Our Fundamental Nature	66	(41)
Dalai Lama
Dialogues, Part I: Fundamental Questions	81	(26)
PART II: SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND BIOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS OF ALTRUISM, COMPASSION, AND RELATED CONSTRUCTS
Toward a Biology of Positive Affect and Compassion	107	(24)
Richard J. Davidson
Empathy-Related Emotional Responses, Altruism, and Their Socialization	131	(34)
Nancy Eisenberg
Emergency Helping, Genocidal Violence, and the Evolution of Responsibility and Altruism in Children	165	(17)
Ervin Staub
Altruism in Competitive Environments	182	(65)
Robert H. Frank
Dialogues, Part II: Pragmatic Extensions and Applications	213	(34)
Appendix: About the Mind and Life Institute	247	(6)
Index	253