Good For Nothing

Titled The Fear Factor in the USA 'A riveting ride through your own brain' - Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals If humans are fundamentally good, why do we engage in acts of great cruelty? If we are evil, why do we sometimes help others at a cost to ourselves? Whether humans are good or evil is a question that has plagued philosophers and scientists for as long as there have been philosophers and scientists. Many argue that we are fundamentally selfish, and only the rules and laws of our societies and our own relentless efforts of will can save us from ourselves. But is this really true? Abigail Marsh is a social neuroscientist who has closely studied the brains of both the worst and the best among us-from children with psychopathic traits whose families live in fear of them, to adult altruists who have given their own kidneys to strangers. Her groundbreaking findings suggest a possibility that is more optimistic than the dominant view. Humans are not good or evil, but are equally (and fundamentally) capable of good and evil. In Good for Nothing Marsh explores the human capacity for caring, drawing on cutting edge research findings from clinical, translational and brain imaging investigations on the nature of empathy, altruism, and aggression and brings us closer to understanding the basis of humans' social nature. 'You won't be able to put it down' - Daniel Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness '[It] reads like a thriller... One of the most mind-opening books I have read in years' - Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism

Good for Nothing is a fine example of a book that looks deeper, showing how an ancient part of the brain--central to our emotional lives--plays a pivotal role in who we are and what we do. It's a sharp analysis sprinkled with relatable examples, and an excellent brain book

Préface
A new popular science book exploring the cutting edge science explaining human altruism and psychopathy, how closely they can be mapped, and how the potential to be more compassionate and kind exists in all of us.

Auteur

Abigail Marsh is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown University. She received her PhD in social psychology from Harvard University and completed her post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health. Her work has been covered in The Times, NPR, The Economist, The Washington Post, and in her popular TED Talk.

Texte du rabat

If humans are fundamentally good, why do we engage in acts of great cruelty? If we are evil, why do we sometimes help others at a cost to ourselves?

Whether humans are good or evil is a question that has plagued philosophers and scientists for as long as there have been philosophers and scientists. Many argue that we are fundamentally selfish, and only the rules and laws of our societies and our own relentless efforts of will can save us from ourselves. But is this really true?

Abigail Marsh is a social neuroscientist who has closely studied the brains of both the worst and the best among us - from children with psychopathic traits whose families live in fear of them, to adult altruists who have given their own kidneys to strangers. Her groundbreaking findings suggest a possibility that is more optimistic than the dominant view; humans are equally (and fundamentally) capable of good and evil.

In Good for Nothing Marsh explores the human capacity for caring, drawing on cutting edge research findings from clinical, translational and brain imaging investigations on the nature of empathy, altruism and aggression, and brings us closer to understanding the basis of human social nature.

Abigail Marsh is an associate professor of psychology at Georgetown University. She received her PhD in social psychology from Harvard University and completed post-doctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health. For over 10 years, she has conducted behavioural and brain research aimed at understanding how we understand each other's feelings, why we care about one another's welfare, and the causes of the worst and best impulses within us, from violent aggression to life-saving altruism. Her work has been covered in The Times, Slate, The Huffington Post, NPR, The Economist and New York Magazine and in a popular TED Talk.