Caring Economics

Can the hyper-ambitious, bottom-line-driven practices of the global economy incorporate compassion into the pursuit of wealth? Or is economics driven solely by materialism and self-interest? In Caring Economics, experts consider these questions alongside the Dalai Lama in a wide-ranging, scientific-based discussion on economics and altruism.

Started in 1987, the Mind and Life Institute arose out of a series of conferences held with the Dalai Lama and a range of scientists that sought to form a connection between the empiricism of contemporary scientific inquiry and the contemplative, compassion-based practices of Buddhism. Caring Economics is based on a conference held by the Mind and Life Institute in Zurich in which experts from all over the world gathered to discuss the possibility of having a global economy focused on compassion and altruism. Each chapter consists of a presentation by an expert in the field, followed by a discussion with the Dalai Lama in which he offers his response and his own unique insights on the subject.

In this provocative book, learn how wealth doesn't need to be selfish, and how empathy and compassion may be the path to a healthier world economy.

Table of Contents:

Part I: Scientific Research on Altruism and Pro-Social Behavior
1. The Egoism-Altruism Debate: A Psychological Perspective by Daniel Batson
2. Empathy and the Introceptive Cortex by Tania Singer
3. The Neural Bases of Compassion by Richard Davidson
4. A Buddhist Perspective on Altruism by Matthieu Ricard
5. Biological Imperatives for Survival: Altruism Reconsidered by Joan Silk

Part II: Economic Research on Altruism and Pro-Social Behavior
6. The Social Dilemma Experiment by Ernst Fehr
7. First Thoughts Toward a Buddhist Economics by John Dunne
8. The Economics of Happiness by Richard Layard
9. Why People Give to Charity by William Harbaugh
10. Altruistic Punishment and the Creation of Public Goods by Ernst Fehr

Part III: Introducing Pro-Sociality into Economic Systems
11. Profit with a Purpose by Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter
12. What Can Microfinance Do? by Arthur Vayloyan
13. The Barefoot College by Sanjit "Bunker" Roy
14. Compassionate Leadership by William George
Conclusion: Compassion is Not a Luxury; Moderator: Joan Halifax