There’s a growing body of opinion in science that evolution, at least at the cultural level, has been driven, in part, by empathy and qualities normally associated with altruism. Down through history, when hunter-gatherer societies and tribes achieved a certain level of density and population, cooperative behavior became more than a competitive advantage. It became…Read More

If you want confirmation that goodness can be an inherent part of human nature, Daniel Tomasulo wrote a great account of generosity in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. He was in Washington, D.C. when the hurricane struck. As he pulled off the Garden State Parkway and arrived at his shoreline home, he wondered if he’d…Read More

Two years ago, David Tally was a homeless man wandering around Tempe, Arizona, sleeping on a mat in a shelter. On n a day in November, his life became something like a fairy tale. He saw an unattended backpack at a light-rail station, with no owner in sight. So he bent down and flipped it…Read More

If you’re injured or otherwise need emergency medical care in Central Park, you’ll get it within three minutes. And it will be an ambulance unit staffed entirely by expert volunteers. The Central Park Emergency Unit was recently featured by CBS in a report that celebrated its 150 volunteers who have become a crack medical response…Read More