Dutch - Scientist | October 29, 1948 -
Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on that.
Frans de Waal
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You should know as much as you can about the human species if you have a hand in designing human society.
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I think the sense of fairness in humans is very strongly developed, and that's why we react so strongly to all the bonuses received by Wall Street executives. We want to know why they deserve these benefits.
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After World War II it was decided that, in order to prevent the Germans and the French from having another war, it would be better to tie them together into one economic pact so they would invest in each other and have mutual stakes. Until now, that has worked to prevent warfare between the two.
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If you look at national economies today, for example, the American economy, the European economy, the Indians, the Chinese, we're all tied together. If one of them sinks, the rest are going to sink with them and if one floats, the rest are lifted up. I find that very interesting.
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If there is any form of contagion that is adaptive, it is the immediate response to the fear of others. If others are fearful, there may be good reason for you to be fearful too.
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Darwin wasn't just provocative in saying that we descend from the apes - he didn't go far enough. We are apes in every way, from our long arms and tailless bodies to our habits and temperament.
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Humans have a lot of pro-social tendencies.
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Male chimpanzees have an extraordinarily strong drive for dominance. They're constantly jockeying for position.
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The thinking is that we started evolving language not by speaking but by gesturing.
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The role of inequity in society is grossly underestimated. Inequity is not good for your health, basically.
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Very ancient parts of the brain are involved in moral decision making.
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