Eduardo Santiago reviewed The War for Kindness by Jamil Zaki
Review of 'The War for Kindness' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
You’ve read about those studies that “prove” that empathy is malleable; in which subjects primed with pictures of puppies and butterflies behave more favorably toward fellow humans. You’ve also probably grumbled in frustration at how pathetically short-term (and useless) those studies are. Zaki too: he likens those to fast-twitch muscles, the kind useful for sprints but not marathons. Zaki is very much interested in the long run, and has devoted his research (and book) to the proposition that empathy is a muscle, that it can be trained and grown and encouraged. With permanent effects. He shows us some of the promising research on how best to do it, especially for those less likely to devote themselves to a life of meditative contemplation.
He covers a lot of ground: medical professionals, police, criminals. Empathy in education, especially younger ages, yields disproportionately positive results. (Yes, he talks about morality and about the …
You’ve read about those studies that “prove” that empathy is malleable; in which subjects primed with pictures of puppies and butterflies behave more favorably toward fellow humans. You’ve also probably grumbled in frustration at how pathetically short-term (and useless) those studies are. Zaki too: he likens those to fast-twitch muscles, the kind useful for sprints but not marathons. Zaki is very much interested in the long run, and has devoted his research (and book) to the proposition that empathy is a muscle, that it can be trained and grown and encouraged. With permanent effects. He shows us some of the promising research on how best to do it, especially for those less likely to devote themselves to a life of meditative contemplation.
He covers a lot of ground: medical professionals, police, criminals. Empathy in education, especially younger ages, yields disproportionately positive results. (Yes, he talks about morality and about the people who prefer to punish punish punish rather than "be soft". As one might expect from a compassionate writer, he tries to win them over with facts—an approach which, I fear, is hopeless against authoritarian-centered brains). Even technology—even social media technology, which he overwhelmingly blames for the exponential growth of discord this century—has much to offer if we use it right.
I was disappointed that he didn’t talk about the role of hate-based religions; nor did he even mention any of the recent findings on morality (e.g. [b:Haidt’s work|11324722|The Righteous Mind Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion|Jonathan Haidt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534528902l/11324722.SY75.jpg|16252969]). And I’m discouraged, admittedly preemptively, that none of the people who really need to read this book will ever read this book. Four and a half stars, rounding down because I’m feeling dejected about the world right now, but even so please grab this book (or borrow my copy). We can all benefit and learn from reading it.