2011

The Dalai Lama and Human Social Instincts

What the Dalai Lama says here about human nature is very close to what an atheistic evolutionary psychologist might say. He says:

“Human beings are not intrinsically selfish, which isolates us from others. We are essentially social animals who depend on others to meet our needs. We achieve happiness, prosperity and progress through social interaction. Therefore, having a kind and helpful attitude contributes to our own and others' happiness.”

It takes only a single word change to make that statement accord with the natural science of human psychology. The word to change is “intrinsically.” Instead, you could say that humans aren’t “categorically” selfish. Or you could say we’re not “exclusively,” “merely,” or “irredeemably” selfish. As for the rest, the Dalai Lama’s statement agrees with evolutionary psychology that human nature includes built-in predispositions for positive social interactions. With this statement, he contradicts the radical behaviorists like B. F. Skinner and the Marxists like Stephen J. Gould who claimed that society determines how humans interact socially.