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Darwin a Buddhist?

Daniel Burke

The National Geographic says that Charles Darwin probably didn’t know it, but he held views on human empathy that mirror Buddhist beliefs, according to a psychologist who’s studied Buddhist teachings.

Moneyquote: Based on his interactions with foreign cultures, Darwin came to define empathy as a desire to end someone’s suffering to assuage one’s own discomfort.

Buddhist teachings also see empathy as a somewhat selfish motivation, but one that the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, calls the “seed of compassion.”


“It’s an amazing coincidence that [Darwin’s] views on compassion and morality are identical to the Tibetan Buddhist view,” said Paul Ekman, a psychologist.

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