One of Time magazine’s most influential people, the primatologist from Emory University’s Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Center and author Frans de Waal discusses his new book, The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society (McClelland & Stewart, 2009), with Joseph Planta.

The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for A Kinder Society by Frans de Waal. (McClelland & Stewart, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Age of Empathy

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

My guest now has written an engrossing book that challenges long held assumptions about our human morality. Frans de Waal has written a stimulating, challenging and fascinating book. In The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for A Kinder Society, we learn that humans are not inherently selfish and competitive. We are hard-wired for empathy, and that the events of recent years, the economic meltdown, Hurricane Katrina, and the election of Barack Obama somehow signals perhaps a return to those immutable aspects of human society, trust, compassion, generosity, solidarity, and justice. Frans de Waal is noted primatologist, professor of psychology, and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta. He is a prize-winning and bestselling author. Time selected him one of the world’s 100 Most Influential People. The book is published in this country by McClelland and Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Toronto this day, Frans de Waal; Good morning, Professor de Waal.

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