ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews in detail the evolutionary basis of compassion. It discusses how aggressive and prosocial tendencies exist together because of their evolutionary advantages. Indeed, if humans only inflicted suffering on each other, without any form of cooperation, social connection, and predisposition to alleviate suffering, we would undoubtedly destroy each other and the planet. We could not survive in such a violent, harsh, and uncaring world. Humans are biologically prepared for “fight or flight,” but they also are biologically prepared for kindness and collaboration, the seeds of compassion. The chapter considers the adaptive functions of compassion, the debate about nature versus nurture, and how human development promotes compassion. Recognizing that compassion is both inherited and learned, the chapter closes with suggestions about how we can build on the abilities we are born with to create a more compassionate society.
