The Altruistic Brain

The title of this ground-breaking book begs the question that brains, rather than persons, can be altruistic - is this just a category error? What the book does demonstrate, though, is that brains regulate or at least influence our behaviour according to certain inherently benevolent patterns. We are in fact wired for empathy and goodwill, which is a very significant finding that provides a counterargument to the idea of the selfish gene and indeed of original sin. The author calls this Altruistic Brain Theory (ABT). He explains in some detail the five steps involved in processing altruism: registering the act one is about to perform, picturing the person who will be the target of this act, blurring the image of that person with oneself (a crucial step), feeling into the consequences of the potential act and deciding whether or not to act. Each of these steps takes place below the level of consciousness and is completed in a microsecond.

The rest of the first part introduces ABT in more detail and explains the neuroscience underlying each step as well as the neural and hormonal mechanisms promoting pro-social behaviour such as oxytocin. The author then links his theory to the universality of the golden rule. In the second part, he considers how we can improve performance of the moral brain by removing obstacles to good behaviour. In the first instance, it transforms our perceptions of ourselves and helps create a climate of trust. Nevertheless, this inherent pattern can be overridden by impulses towards violent crime and gang behaviour. He links his theory with the work of Daniel Kahneman on fast and slow thinking, arguing that thinking slow may give benevolent brain mechanisms a chance to work. Here, he could have mentioned the work of Iain McGilchrist and his observation that empathy is associated with the right hemisphere. Towards the end, he draws the interesting conclusion that society should remove obstacles to leadership by women on the grounds that their hormones such as oestrogen and oxytocin operating on circuits in the female brain foster more pro-social and caring behaviour - he therefore calls for the empowerment of women, very much along the lines of Malala. By recognising these benevolent brain patterns, we can correspondingly strengthen them, thus giving more hope for a positive future – a visionary conclusion from a scientific book.