The Wisdom of Five Empathy Experts at TED
From Iraq to oxytocin, a round-up of big thoughts from big empathy experts.
Ada Calhoun is a freelance journalist living in New York City. She is the author of Instinctive Parenting: Trusting Ourselves to Raise Good Kids. Ada was the founding editor-in-chief, from 2006-2009, of Babble.com, the online resource center for "a new generation of parents," which earned a Folio Silver Medal and an ASME nomination for best online magazine.
1. Sociologist Sam Richards asks if it’s possible to understand the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? He wonders: Can anyone truly understand and empathize with another?
2. Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax explains what she earned about compassion in the face of death and dying, and a deep insight into the nature of empathy in the course of her hospice work.
3. Bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy.
4. Research professor Brené Brown delivers a deeply personal talk about our ability to love and empathize.
5. Neuro-economist Paul Zak explains how Oxytocin is responsible for empathy—and a stable society.
contributions from Frankie Thomas and Ilya Tsinis