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The Empathy Instinct

How to Create a More Civil Society

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The Empathy Instinct

By: Peter Bazalgette
Narrated by: Peter Bazalgette
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About this listen

 Empathy is the power of understanding others, imaginatively entering into their feelings. It is a fundamental human attribute, without which mutually co-operative societies cannot function. In a revolutionary development, we now know who has it, who lacks it and why. Via the MRI scanner we are mapping the human brain. This is a new frontier that reveals a host of beneficial ideas for childcare, teens challenged by the internet, the justice system, decent healthcare, tackling racism and resolving conflicts.

In this wide-ranging and accessible book full of entertaining stories that are underlined by the latest scientific research, Peter Bazalgette also mounts a passionate defence of arts and popular culture as a means of bridging the empathy gap.

As the world's population expands, consuming the planet's finite resources, as people haunted by poverty and war are on the move and as digital communications infinitely complicate our social interactions, we find our patience and our sympathy constantly challenged. Here is the antidote.

Culminating in a passionate manifesto on empathy, The Empathy Instinct is what makes us human and what can make us better humans.

(P)2017 John Murray Press©2017 Peter Bazalgette Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Compassion Health Mental Health Human Brain

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Critic reviews

The Empathy Instinct should be required reading
Sir Peter argues that politicians and the public must also be made to see that there are certain human aptitudes that can best be nurtured by an engagement with the arts and humanities
All stars
Most relevant
Along with To Kill a Mockingbird, everyone should read/listen to this book; or, at the very least: politicians, teachers, the medical profession - basically, everyone in the public sector.
That said, every manager of people in the workplace would benefit from this book. If we could all stand in another person's shoes and walk a mile in them: empathise with their perspective, the world would be a better, safer and more caring place.
The Empathy Instinct should become a movement; we shouldn't just leave it to politicians, we should also create a bottom-up movement to get everyone to understand. I hope the author tries to do just that.
Great book, very thought-provoking and interesting, loved it and will probably listen again to certain areas. I downloaded it after listening to the author being interviewed on Radio 5 Live. Highly recommend.

Everyone should read this, it would make for a better world

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Fact after fact after fact, Bazalgette backs up his points, all creating a highly convincing picture of a better society driven by better connections with one another, all by using empathy as the primary tool.

Like all tools empathy requires skills and practices to use it well Bazalgette provides grounded pointers in many different genres, such as health, prison reform, education and IT where the greater use of an empathy instinct has proven to create better lasting results.

Essential reading for anyone who wishes to help build a better future for us all.

Inspired!

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The empathy instinct can be read both as a manifesto for a better society and a scientific approach for interpersonal relationships.

The audiobook itself has good production value - well articulated with separate voice actors for quotes.

Engaging, interesting and scientific

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