The Templeton Book Forum invites you to a conversation between Frans de Waal, author of The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society, and Carl Zimmer, Discover magazine.

Are we our brothers' keepers? Do we have an instinct for compassion? Or are we on earth only to serve our own survival and interests? In his thought-provoking new book, the acclaimed primatologist and author Frans de Waal examines how empathy comes naturally to a great variety of animals, including humans.

By studying such behaviors as bonding, the herd instinct, the forming of alliances, expressions of consolation, and conflict resolution, de Waal demonstrates that animals are "preprogrammed to reach out." Humans in particular, with our innate sensitivity to faces, bodies, and voices, have been designed to feel for one another. Through a better understanding of empathy's survival value in evolution, de Waal suggests, we can work together toward a more just society based on a more generous and accurate view of human nature.

THE HARVARD CLUB
35 West 44th Street, New York City

RECEPTION: 6:00–6:30 PM | EVENT: 6:30–7:30 PM
Please join afterward for food, drink, and informal conversation with the speakers.