Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along

326 Pages·2014·2.01 MB·English

by  Stefan Klein

PRAISE FOR
Survival of the Nicest
“This wonderful book could be read as a scientific explanation for a moral
imperative to be kind to others. But it is so much more! Stefan Klein, an
enticing storyteller, marshals the evidence for the value of altruism—not only
to one’s family but, much more interestingly, to one’s self and one’s tribe.
Altruism is truly contagious!”
—Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate, poet, and Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters
Emeritus, Cornell University “A scholarly tour de force about why generosity makes good sense,
Survival of the Nicest is also compulsively readable. Klein argues convincingly that helping
others is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.”
—Elizabeth Svoboda, author of What Makes a Hero?: The Surprising Science of Selflessness
“A thought-provoking and comprehensive review of the research on altruism,
Survival of the Nicest validates humanistic principles and has far-reaching
implications for today’s world—especially for US politics and culture. An
inspiration!”
—Rebecca Hale, president, American Humanist Association, and co-owner of EvolveFISH.com
“An important contribution to the field of altruism and altruistic behavior and
to a better and nicer world. I highly recommend this book.”
—Samuel P. Oliner, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Humboldt State University, and
founder and director, The Altruistic Personality and Prosocial Behavior Institute “In Survival of
the Nicest, Stefan Klein poses three questions central to social science and ethics: (1) How is
unselfishness possible? (2) What moves us to help others? And (3) why are some people more
helpful than others? His wide-ranging answers to these questions suggest that altruism is born into
us and that selflessness actually both makes us happy and will transform the world.”
—Kristen Renwick Monroe, Chancellor’s Professor, University of California, Irvine, and author
of The Heart of Altruism
ALSO BY STEFAN KLEIN
Leonardo’s Legacy: How Da Vinci Reimagined the World
The Secret Pulse of Time: Making Sense of Life’s Scarcest Commodity
The Science of Happiness: How Our Brains Make Us Happy—and What We
Can Do to Get Happier
Survival of the Nicest
How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get
Along
STEFAN KLEIN
TRANSLATED BY DAVID DOLLENMAYER
NEW YORK
Survival of the Nicest: How Altruism Made Us Human and Why It Pays to Get Along
Copyright © Stefan Klein, 2010, 2014
Translation © David Dollenmayer, 2014
“The Mask of Evil,” originally published in German as “Die Maske des Bösen.”
Copyright 1943 by Bertolt-Brecht-Erben / Suhrkamp Verlag, from Collected Poems of Bertolt Brecht. Used
by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation. Translation for this edition by David Dollenmayer.
Illustrations courtesy of Karen Giangreco, after Hermann Hülsenberg, Berlin.
All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online
reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Originally published in 2010 in German, in slightly different form, by S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt
am Main.
The Experiment, LLC
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Klein, Stefan, 1965-
[Sinn des Gebens. English]
Survival of the nicest : how altruism made us human and why it pays to get along / Stefan Klein ;
translated by David Dollenmayer.
pages cm
Translation of: Der Sinn des Gebens : warum Selbstlosigkeit in der Evolution siegt und wir mit Egoismus
nicht weiterkommen.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61519-090-4 (cloth) -- ISBN 978-1-61519-181-9 (ebook)
1. Altruism. 2. Cooperation. 3. Evolutionary psychology. I. Title.
BF637.H4K57 2014
BF637.H4K57 2014
155.7--dc23
2013024044
ISBN 978-1-61519-090-4
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-181-9
Cover design by Alison Forner
Cover image and image on pages 1 and 93 © Rossella Apostoli | Alamy and Sabri Deniz Kizil |
Shutterstock
Text design by Pauline Neuwirth, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.
Distributed by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Distributed simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen and Son Ltd.
First printing January 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Elias
Contents
Introduction
PART I: YOU AND I
CHAPTER 1: The Unexplained Friendliness of the World
CHAPTER 2: Give and Take
CHAPTER 3: Building Trust
CHAPTER 4: Feelings Without Borders
CHAPTER 5: There Is Only One Love
PART II: ALL OF US
CHAPTER 6: Humans Share, Animals Don’t
CHAPTER 7: It’s the Principle of the Thing
CHAPTER 8: Us Against Them
CHAPTER 9: The Evil in Goodness
CHAPTER 10: The Golden Rule
CHAPTER 11: The Triumph of Selflessness
EPILOGUE: The Joy of Giving
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Author