Jeremy Rifkin and the RSA
The Empathic Civilization
About the speaker
Jeremy Rifkin is the author of over 20 books dealing with how advances in science and technology affect society, the economy and the environment. He is a social and economic theorist, public speaker, political advisor and activist.
The big issue
Why do we feel empathy and how far can that empathy extend? In this lively talk, Jeremy Rifkin discusses how empathy develops, and how scientific research has discovered that humans are soft-wired for sociability, attachment and empathy. He asks, as a result, should we rethink the structures of our society?
Read the book
The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis looks at how the evolution of empathy shaped human development. How did communication and energy development in early civilizations change us? And is our ability to empathise the key to our future success as a species?
