Author Frans de Waal in Conversation with Carl Zimmer

Are we our brothers' keepers? Do we have an instinct for compassion? Or are we, as is often assumed, only on earth to serve our own survival and interests? In his thought-provoking new book, the acclaimed primatologist and author Frans de Waal examines how empathy comes naturally to a great variety of animals, including humans.

By studying such behaviors as bonding, the herd instinct, the forming of alliances, expressions of consolation, and conflict resolution, de Waal demonstrates that animals are "preprogrammed to reach out." Humans in particular, with our innate sensitivity to faces, bodies, and voices, have been designed to feel for one another. Through a better understanding of empathy's survival value in evolution, de Waal suggests, we can work together toward a more just society based on a more generous and accurate view of human nature.