Résumé: I read Dr. Frans de Waal's book once my own book on humanist empathy was completed. My book was published in French, in February 2009, under the title Le code pour une éthique globale, vers une civilisation humaniste (Liber). And, it will be published in the U.S. and in Canada, in March 2010, under the title The Code for Global Ethics, Ten Humanist Principles (Prometheus Books). I warmly welcome Dr. de Waal's book for its demonstration that humans are more than simply selfish animals. For that matter, so are animals. The idea that has gained credence over the last quarter of century that for a capitalist system to function well, it has to be based on greed and egoism, is wrong. To the contrary, as Adam Smith amply demonstrated, natural egoism must be tempered with feelings of altruism, compassion and empathy toward others, if a capitalist economic system can be morally acceptable. This means that market failures (monopoly, cartels, inequality, ...) must be corrected by an external force, be it the government or the courts. Therefore, I perfectly agree with Dr. de Waal that it is possible to combine a thriving economy with a humane society, but this requires a strong sense of humanist empathy. I like his idea that every society needs a second moral invisible hand, beside the economic invisible hand of markets. This is most original and a welcome contribution to our knowledge. This is certainly a book that helps us all have a better understanding of the evolution of human morality.
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Dr. Rodrigue Tremblay is the author of the coming book The Code for Global Ethics, Ten Humanist Principles (Prometheus Books), March 2010.