How did humans, a species of self-centered apes, come to care deeply about complete strangers?

From an evolutionary standpoint, we shouldn't be kind to strangers. Yet, history shows, time and again, we are.

Scientists see it as a puzzle to solve. Michael McCullough, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego, believes it's what sets us apart. He says, "[We] love to talk about ways in which humans are biologically unique, and there's a million ways. But I really do think that our regard for strangers, absolute strangers, is one of them."

Michael is author of the book, The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a Moral Code. Drawing on multiple fields, he crafts a story of how our empathy for strangers has changed over time. 

He covers a lot of ground, moving from ancient history to modern psychology. Ultimately, he arrives at the pandemic present, where he asks, "How are you going to bring the tools of reasoning, ethics, and science all together to make rational choices about collective courses of action?"

A Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Michael is also the author of two previous books, To Forgive is Human and Beyond Revenge.

Episode Links

The War for Kindness by Jamil Zaki

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

David Sloan Wilson

Group Selection

Behavioral game theory

Robert Trivers

Code of Hammurabi

Curious Minds Team

You can learn more about creator and host, Gayle Allen, and producer and editor, Rob Mancabelli, here.

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