new book: Editor's comment (Jason Marsh) "The Compassionate Instinct": Uncovering the New Science of Human Goodness

"Taken together, this research challenges some long-held notions about human nature, revealing that the good in us is just as intrinsic to our species as the bad. Empathy, gratitude, compassion, altruism, fairness, trust, and cooperation, once thought to be aberrations from the tooth-and-claw natural order of things, are actually core features of primate evolution.
For too long a view of humans has prevailed that assumes we are wired to compete, to act aggressively, to pursue unbridled self-interest. These are no doubt facets of human nature, but they represent only half of the story.
"The Compassionate Instinct" reveals another story, one that places goodness at the center of human nature. The book doesn't deny the existence of the violence and selfishness we see in the world around us. But it offers scientific evidence that another world is possible."