The Altruistic Brain: How We Get to Be Naturally Good

Humans are hard-wired to be kind, argues Pfaff, a Rockefeller University neurobiologist, in this intriguing examination of how and why we’re able to “regularly behave in a good and ethical way.” He outlines his “altruistic brain theory” in scientific steps, but concedes that the idea didn’t come out of a lab: “It occurred to me that the universal nature of dictates for human benevolence—Golden Rule–like requirements across centuries and continents—indicated a basis in biology.” Pfaff links his theory to research on ethical decision making, which, he argues, “sheds light on the biological origins of classical morality.” Children, he adds, prove the point: if altruistic behaviors had to be learned by “complex cognitive systems, children could not exhibit such behaviors.” Pfaff’s survey of the science and relevant literature, and even law, is a cause for optimism, but also for action. “Well-designed social initiatives”—including programs that foster community participation and human welfare—can help our altruistic brain function to work even when social conditions, like poverty, present impossible hurdles, he writes. Pfaff convincingly shows the science of altruism, but it’s less clear society is ready to let our brains work as they’re intended—and wired—for the benefit of all. [em](Dec.) [/em]