Aug 25, 2016
Empathy has long been considered a uniquely human trait, but
it's an ability that has also been observed in apes and other
animals. Primatologist Frans de Waal says that examples of empathy
in non-human primates and other mammals suggest that empathy
has a long evolutionary history in humans.
Frans de Waal is the C.H. Candler Professor
of Psychology at Emory University where he directs the Living Links
Center for the Advanced Study of Ape and Human Evolution. He’s the
author of several books including
The Age of Empathy, and most recently,
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
Credits: Nancy Rosenbaum produced our
story. Our editor is Audrey Quinn. Theme music by
Henry Nagle. Additional
music by Podington Bear, Lee Rosevere, and Box Cat Records. Being
Human Bonus produced by Meredith Johnson.
Being Human:
This episode was produced as part of the Being Human
initiative. A joint project of The Leakey Foundation and the
Baumann Foundation.
The Being Human initiative is all about why we experience our
lives the way we do, including our thoughts, feelings, and
behavior. Keep listening after our story for the “Being
Human Bonus Segment” where we talk about how the
science in this episode applies to real world situations. Our guest
is Natalee Hanson, a special education teacher who works with
students who have emotional and behavioral disabilities.
The Leakey Foundation:
Origin Stories is a project of The Leakey Foundation. The
Leakey Foundation advances human origins research and offers
educational opportunities to cultivate a deeper, collective
understanding of what it means to be human. We give research grants
to scientists and share their groundbreaking discoveries through
our podcast, website, and lecture programs. We also give
scholarships to students from developing countries to attend field
schools and earn advanced degrees.
You can help The Leakey Foundation fund important scientific
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You can find transcripts of our past episodes at
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