Jeremy Rifkin – advisor to the European Union, author of 17 bestselling books and President of the Foundation of Economic Trends – claims that empathy is the key to a successful society. Rifkin declares that the human race is not defined by aggression, war or narcissism as some experts suggest; but rather, we are a species characterized by a constantly evolving empathy. He says an intellectual identification with (or vicarious experiencing of) feelings, thoughts and/or attitudes of another are what foster our sense of community – from tribes, to nations, to a global union for all life forms that exist among our shared biosphere.

Find out more in his latest book The Empathic Civilization.