The science of altruism.

• Author: Whitney, Jake
• Position: Book review

Caring Economics: Conversations on Altruism and Compassion Between Scientists, Economists, and the Dalai Lama

Edited by Tania Singer and Matthieu Ricard Picador. $26.230 pages.

The editors of Caring Economics want us to reassess everything we know about money and the economy. The book focuses on a 2010 economics conference in Zurich, Switzerland, organized by the Mind and Life Institute, which advocates the fusion of science and Buddhism. The Dalai Lama (a founder of the Institute), professors of sociology and psychology, and several of the world's top neuroscientists and economists discuss the flaws in our current financial system and ideas for a new one.

Neuroscientist Tania Singer and Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk who holds a Ph.D. in cellular genetics, condense the conference's key ideas to construct a striking argument: Modern economics must evolve from a Western-dominated philosophy of self-interest to a Buddhist-influenced one that incorporates altruism.

To some, this will sound naive and impractical. But Singer and Ricard are not suggesting that we dismantle capitalism--just rethink it. Whether this can be accomplished is another matter. Significant questions are left unanswered: How do we go about establishing a caring economic system? Given that so many powerful interests are invested in the current model, is it even remotely possible? Indeed, the biggest problem with Caring Economics is that it offers no clue about how to begin implementing the ideas it advocates. But make no mistake: These are stirring ideas.

Incorporating altruism, the book argues, is the only way to build a sustainable economic model--one that eschews greed and risk. Neuroscientists are brought into the discussion to present evidence--in the form of social experiments and brain scans--that humans can be just as happy being altruistic as being selfish. And no matter what economic model we're talking about, the book argues, we should all have the same goal: To make the most human beings as happy as possible.

Through its clever use of neuroscience to make its case, Caring Economics stands out.

"Simply preventing another financial crisis is not enough," the editors write in the introduction. "Around the world, young people and families, scholars and workers, activists and politicians are calling for a more caring, sustainable, equitable economy--one that does not accommodate the desires of a few elites but benefits the world's community through compassion and...