The Kindness of Strangers, Michael E. McCullough
The Kindness of Strangers, Michael E. McCullough
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The Kindness of Strangers
How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code

Author: Michael E. McCullough

Narrator: Braden Wright

Unabridged: 12 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/27/2020

Synopsis

"A fine achievement."--Peter Singer, author of The Life You Can Save and The Most Good You Can DoA sweeping psychological history of human goodness -- from the foundations of evolution to the modern political and social challenges humanity is now facing.How did humans, a species of self-centered apes, come to care about others? Since Darwin, scientists have tried to answer this question using evolutionary theory. In The Kindness of Strangers, psychologist Michael E. McCullough shows why they have failed and offers a new explanation instead. From the moment nomadic humans first settled down until the aftermath of the Second World War, our species has confronted repeated crises that we could only survive by changing our behavior. As McCullough argues, these choices weren't enabled by an evolved moral sense, but with moral invention -- driven not by evolution's dictates but by reason.Today's challenges -- climate change, mass migration, nationalism -- are some of humanity's greatest yet. In revealing how past crises shaped the foundations of human concern, The Kindness of Strangers offers clues for how we can adapt our moral thinking to survive these challenges as well.

About Michael E. McCullough

Michael McCullough is a professor of psychology at the University of California, San Diego. The winner of numerous distinctions for his research and writing, he is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He lives in La Jolla, California.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan on August 02, 2020

How many times have you heard some variation of the phrase, advanced by David Hume in the 18th century, that “reason is the slave of the passions”? According to this doctrine, reason is used simply as justification for the pursuit of goals dictated by our emotions. If you want to understand human be......more

Goodreads review by Elliot on October 18, 2020

A welcome contrast to the last book I read (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich), the Kindness of Strangers lays out a history of humanity’s gradual cultural movement towards kindness and towards altruism. Without beating you over the head with it, the overall sentiment is that kindness works becau......more

Goodreads review by Maher on September 27, 2020

Amazing......more

Goodreads review by Terence on November 28, 2021

Easy to read, McCullough sounds both realistic and upbeat about our chances of, as Peter Singer puts it, "expanding the moral circle." Indeed, McCullough tells a very progressivist story, with various "eras" moving us from the selfish ape of the title to people who more and more help those totally f......more

Goodreads review by Neha on January 30, 2025

A difficult task to write a review of this one. Gifted by a dear friend with a personal note and hope that I'd love and gain much from it and indeed a topic close to my heart and being 💜 The author starts with proposing theories starting from Darwin's natural selection to then kin and group selectio......more

Quotes

"A deliciously provocative analysis of an entirely admirable human quality." —Kirkus (starred review)

"An inspiring and engrossing new look at human goodness. Without sentimentality or glibness, and wearing his depth and erudition lightly, McCullough enlightens us on when and why we care for others." —Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now

"This is a controversial book, but McCullough's arguments are smart, clear, and ultimately persuasive." —Paul Bloom, author of Against Empathy

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