Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

Description: Visions of Compassion arose out of the 1995 Mind and Life conference entitled "Altruism, Ethics, and and Compassion." The meeting brought together the Dalai Lama with Western neuroscientists, philosophers, psychologists, an historian, a professor of economics, and others to discuss compassion and altruism from a variety of perspectives. Members engaged questions related to how compassion might be understood through neuro-biological investigation, how altruism might take place from an evolutionary perspective, human nature and ethics, the difference between Buddhist and Western views on emotion, socialization of positive emotions, and altruism in children and competitive environments. The book features the back-and-forth exchange between participants, as well as longer essays based on formal presentations given by the participating members during the conference. Also here are additional essays, including an original essay by the Dalai Lama, written particularly for this volume which attempt to resolve issues not settled in the meeting. (Zach Rowinski 2004-05-14)

Table of Contents: Part I Historical and Philosophical Background -- 1. Training the Mind: First Steps in a Cross-Cultural Collaboration in Neuroscientific Research / Zara Houshmand, Anne Harrington, Clifford Saron, Richard J. Davidson 3 -- 2. A Science of Compassion or a Compassionate Science? What Do We Expect from a Cross-Cultural Dialogue with Buddhism? / Anne Harrington 18 -- 3. Is Compassion an Emotion? A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Mental Typologies / Georges Dreyfus 31 -- 4. Kindness and Cruelty in Evolution / Elliott Sober 46 -- 5. Understanding Our Fundamental Nature / His Holiness the Dalai Lama 66 -- Dialogues, Part I: Fundamental Questions 81 -- Part II Social, Behavioral, and Biological Explorations of Altruism, Compassion, and Related Constructs -- 6. Toward a Biology of Positive Affect and Compassion / Richard J. Davidson 107 -- 7. Empathy-Related Emotional Responses, Altruism, and Their Socialization / Nancy Eisenberg 131 -- 8. Emergency Helping, Genocidal Violence, and the Evolution of Responsibility and Altruism in Children / Ervin Staub 165 -- 9. Altruism in Competitive Environments / Robert H. Frank 182 -- Dialogues, Part II: Pragmatic Extensions and Applications 213 -- Appendix About the Mind and Life Institute 247.