Eva Brann (St. John’s): Question: Are Human Beings Ultimately Affective? David Barash on how biology makes us want to retaliate for aggression even if we can't direct the retaliation at our aggressor. Science searches for the origin of kindness: A review of The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness by Lee Alan Dugatkin; Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved by Frans de Waal; and The Most Dangerous Animal: Human Nature and the Origins of War by David Livingstone Smith. Patience, fairness and the human condition: Apes are patient, but only people are fair. That may help explain why people came out on top. Research suggests how emotionally charged events leave their mark on memory. Why do we conform to society? A pair of brain regions work together to assess the threat of punishment and override our selfish tendencies.
