"I don't think compassion is an option for us. It's essential for the survival of our species" — Karen Armstrong iStockphoto hide caption
"I don't think compassion is an option for us. It's essential for the survival of our species" — Karen Armstrong
iStockphotoCompassion is a universal virtue, but is it innate or taught? Have we lost touch with it? Can we be better at it? In this hour, TED speakers explore compassion: its roots, its meaning and its future.
"It's almost a meditative practice. To think, 'What emotionally can I connect with?' " — Sally Kohn Ryan Lash/TED hide caption
"I think we need to scale back our imagination about how hard and heroic [compassion] is" — Krista Tippett courtesy of TED hide caption
"We're designed to convince ourselves that our very selective deployment of compassion is thoroughly justified" — Robert Wright courtesy of TED hide caption
"I've become acutely aware of the centrality of compassion in all the major world faiths" — Karen Armstrong James Duncan Davidson/TED hide caption
"Compassionate concern activates the same system you see in every mammal when a parent cares for the young" — Daniel Goleman Robert Leslie/TED hide caption
