Table of Contents

Contributors
Part 1: Historical and Philosophical Background
1: Zara Houshmound et al.: Training the Mind: First Steps in a Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Neuroscientific Research
2: Anne Harrington: The Thing Known or the Knowing Eye? Conceiving Compassion between Science and Buddhism
3: Georges Dreyfus: Is Compassion an Emotion? A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Mental Typologies
4: Elliott Sober: Kindness and Cruelty in Evolution
5: His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Understanding Our Fundamental Nature
Dialogues, Part 1: Fundamental Questions
Part 2: Social, Behavioral, and Biological Explorations of Altruism, Compassion, and Related Constructs
6: Richard Davidson: Toward a Biology of Positive Affect and Compassion
7: Nancy Eisenberg: Empathy-Related Emotional Responses, Altruism, and Their Socialization
8: Ervin Staub: Emergency Helping, Genocidal Violence, and the Evolution of Responsibility and Altruism
9: Robert H. Frank: Altruism in Competitive Environments
Dialogues, Part 2: Pragmatic Extensions and Applications
Appendix: About the Mind and Life Institute
Index

About the Author

Richard J. Davidson is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin. He is co-author or editor of seven books and is a Core Member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mind-Body Interactions. Anne Harrington is Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. She is the Associate Director of the Harvard University Mind/Brain/Behavior Initiative and a Core Member of the MacArthur
Foundation Research Network on Mind-Body Interactions.

Reviews

"The virtues discussed in this book need to be brought more to the foreground in society; indeed, the survival of the human race may depend on it."--Contemporary Psychology, APA Review of Books
"This is a work that will be accessible for undergraduates and graduates with an interest in ethics, altruism, Buddhist spiritual practice, evolutions, and neuro-psychologyThe essays are fully referenced, serving as a valuable resource for further reflectionI heartily recommend this work to individuals interested in the emerging dialogue among religion, spirituality and science."--Religious Studies Review, Harvey B. Aronson
"The virtues discussed in this book need to be brought more to the foreground in society; indeed, the survival of the human race may depend on it."--Contemporary Psychology, APA Review of Books
"This is a work that will be accessible for undergraduates and graduates with an interest in ethics, altruism, Buddhist spiritual practice, evolutions, and neuro-psychologyThe essays are fully referenced, serving as a valuable resource for further reflectionI heartily recommend this work to individuals interested in the emerging dialogue among religion, spirituality and science."--Religious Studies Review, Harvey B. Aronson