Robert Wright: The evolution of compassion

Traducător: preda silvana Corector: Ariana Bleau Lugo

I'm going to talk about compassion and the golden rule

Voi vorbi despre compasiune si despre regula de aur

from a secular perspective and even from a kind of scientific perspective.

din perspectiva laica si într-un fel din perspectiva stiintifica.

I'm going to try to give you a little bit of a natural history

Voi incerca sa va ofer un pic din istoria progresiva

of compassion and the golden rule.

a compasiunii si a regulii de aur.

So, I'm going to be sometimes using kind of clinical language,

Uneori voi folosi limbaj clinic

and so it's not going to sound as warm and fuzzy

asa ca nu va suna recomfortant

as your average compassion talk.

ca discutiile obisnuite despre compasiune.

I want to warn you about that.

Vreau sa va previn.

So, I do want to say, at the outset, that I think compassion's great.

Subliniez de la bun inceput: Compasiunea e minunata.

The golden rule is great. I'm a big supporter of both.

Regula de aur e minunata. Sunt un mare fan al ambelor.

And I think it's great that

Si cred ca e minunat ca religiile lumii,

the leaders of the religions of the world

liderii religiilor lumii

are affirming compassion and the golden rule as fundamental principles

declara compasiunea si regula de aur ca principii fundamentale

that are integral to their faiths.

indispensabile credintei lor.

At the same time, I think religions don't deserve all the credit.

In acelasi timp nu cred ca religiile merita tot creditul.

I think nature gave them a helping hand here.

Natura le-a dat o mana de ajutor aici.

I'm going to argue tonight that compassion and the golden rule

Voi demonstra in seara aceasta ca regula de aur si compasiunea

are, in a certain sense, built into human nature.

sunt, intr-un fel, intrinseci naturii umane.

But I'm also going to argue

Dar de asemenea voi dovedi

that once you understand the sense in which they are built into human nature,

ca odata ce intelegem felul in care sunt intrinseci naturii umane

you realize that just affirming compassion,

realizam ca doar afirmarea compasiunii

and affirming the golden rule, is really not enough.

si a regulii de aur nu e suficienta.

There's a lot of work to be done after that.

Multa munca trebuie sa urmeze.

OK so, a quick natural history, first of compassion.

O scurta lectie de istoria compasiunii:

In the beginning, there was compassion,

La inceput exista compasiunea

and I mean not just when human beings first showed up,

si nu ma refer doar la momentul aparitiei fiintelor umane,

but actually even before that.

ci chiar inainte de asta.

I think it's probably the case that, in the human evolutionary lineage,

Cred ca, probabil in linia evolutiei umane,

even before there were homo sapiens,

inainte chiar de a exista Homo sapiens,

feelings like compassion and love and sympathy

sentimente cum ar fi compasiunea, iubirea si simpatia

had earned their way into the gene pool,

si-au facut oarecum loc in fondul genetic,

and biologists have a pretty clear idea of how this first happened.

si biologii au o idee destul de clara cum s-a intamplat asta prima data.

It happened through a principle known as kin selection.

S-a intamplat prin aplicarea principiului cunoscut de selectia aproapelui.

And the basic idea of kin selection is that,

Ideea de baza a selectiei aproapelui e aceea ca

if an animal feels compassion for a close relative,

daca un animal simte compasiune pentru o ruda apropiata

and this compassion leads the animal to help the relative,

si aceasta compasiune determina animalul sa-si ajute ruda,

then, in the end, the compassion actually winds up helping the genes

atunci, compasiunea va sfarsi prin a ajuta genele

underlying the compassion itself.

în perpetuarea compasiunii.

So, from a biologist's point of view, compassion is actually

Deci, din punctul de vedere al unui biolog, compasiunea e de fapt

a gene's way of helping itself. OK.

modalitatea prin care o gena se ajuta pe sine insasi.

I warned you this was not going to be very warm and fuzzy.

V-am avertizat ca nu va fi prea placut.

I'll get there -- I hope to get a little fuzzier.

Voi ajunge și acolo. Sper sa devina putin mai placut.

This doesn't bother me so much,

Pe mine nu ma deranjeaza foarte mult,

that the underlying Darwinian rationale of compassion

ca rationamentul darwinist asupra compasiunii

is kind of self-serving at the genetic level.

e interesul propriu, la nivel genetic.

Actually, I think the bad news about kin selection

De fapt, vestea proasta in selectia aproapelui

is just that it means that this kind of compassion

e ca acest gen de compasiune

is naturally deployed only within the family.

e implementat in mod firesc doar in cadrul familiei.

That's the bad news. The good news is compassion is natural.

Asta-i partea proasta. Partea buna e că această compasiunea e fireasca.

The bad news is that this kin selected compassion

Vestea proasta e ca aceasta compasiune ce tine de favorizarea aproapelui

is naturally confined to the family.

e in mod natural limitata la familie.

Now, there's more good news that came along later in evolution,

Mai sunt vesti bune care au aparut de-a lungul evolutiei,

a second kind of evolutionary logic.

un al doilea gen de logica evolutiva.

Biologists call that "reciprocal altruism." OK.

Biologii o numesc altruism reciproc.

And there, the basic idea is that

Aici, ideea principala este:

compassion leads you to do good things for people who then will return the favor.

Compasiunea va determina sa faceti lucruri bune pentru persoane care, mai apoi, vor returna favorul.

Again, I know this is not as inspiring a notion of compassion

Stiu ca aceasta persectiva asupra compasiunii nu-i exaltantă

as you may have heard in the past,

ca altele auzite in trecut.

but from a biologist's point of view, this reciprocal altruism kind of compassion

dar, din perspectiva unui biolog, compasiunea altruismului reciproc

is ultimately self-serving too.

opereaza din interes propriu.

It's not that people think that, when they feel the compassion.

Oamenii nu sunt constienti de asta cand simt compasiune.

It's not consciously self-serving, but to a biologist, that's the logic.

Nu opereaza constient din interes propriu, dar pentru un biolog, asta e motivatia.

And so, you wind up most easily extending compassion to friends and allies.

Si astfel, ajungem sa extindem compasiunea asupra prietenilor si aliatilor.

I'm sure a lot of you, if a close friend has something really terrible happen to them,

Sunt sigur ca, daca unui prieten apropiat i s-ar intampla ceva ingrozitor,

you feel really bad.

multora din voi v-ar parea foarte rau.

But if you read in the newspaper

Dar, daca cititi in ziar

that something really horrible happened to somebody you've never heard of,

ca ceva ingrozitor s-a intamplat cuiva de care n-ati auzit niciodata,

you can probably live with that.

probabil nu va afecteaza.

That's just human nature.

Asa e natura umana.

So, it's another good news/bad news story.

Deci, asta-i inca o poveste cu vesti bune si rele.

It's good that compassion was extended beyond the family

E bine ca aceasta compasiune a fost extinsa in afara familiei

by this kind of evolutionary logic.

de aceasta motivatie evolutiva.

The bad news is this doesn't bring us universal compassion by itself.

Vestea proasta e ca nu aduce cu sine compasiunea universala.

So, there's still work to be done.

Deci, mai avem de lucru.

Now, there's one other result of this dynamic called reciprocal altruism,

Mai exista un rezultat al acestei dinamici de altruism reciproc,

which I think is kind of good news,

care cred ca-i o veste buna,

which is that the way that this is played out in the human species,

anume ca manifestarea altruismului reciproc in specia umana

it has given people an intuitive appreciation of the golden rule.

i-a facut pe oameni sa dobandeasca o apreciere intuitiva a regulii de aur.

I don't quite mean that the golden rule itself is written in our genes,

Nu afirm neaparat ca regula de aur e inscrisa in gene,

but you can go to a hunter gatherer society

dar poti merge intr-un trib de vanatori-culegatori

that has had no exposure to any of the great religious traditions,

care n-au fost expusi niciuneia din marile traditii religioase,

no exposure to ethical philosophy,

niciunei etici filozofice,

and you'll find, if you spend time with these people,

si veti descoperi, daca veti petrece timp cu acesti oameni,

that, basically, they believe that one good turn deserves another,

ca, in principiu, ei cred ca o fapta buna merita o alta fapta buna,

and that bad deeds should be punished.

si ca faptele rele ar trebui pedepsite.

And evolutionary psychologists think that these intuitions have a basis in the genes.

Psihologii evolutionisti cred ca aceasta intuitie isi are originea in gene.

So, they do understand that if you want to be treated well,

Deci, ei inteleg ca, daca vrei sa fii tratat bine,

you treat other people well.

trebuie sa-i tratezi bine pe ceilalti.

And it's good to treat other people well.

Si e benefic sa-i tratezi pe ceilalti bine.

That's close to being a kind of built-in intuition.

E aproape o intuitie innascuta.

So, that's good news. Now, if you've been paying attention,

Deci, asta e partea buna. Acum, daca ati fost atenti,

you're probably anticipating that there's bad news here;

probabil ati anticipat ca exista si vesti proaste,

we still aren't to universal love,

ca n-am ajuns inca la iubirea universala,

and it's true because, although an appreciation of the golden rule is natural,

si, e adevarat pentru ca, desi regula de aur e fireasca,

it's also natural to carve out exceptions to the golden rule.

tot firesti sunt si exceptiile de la regula de aur.

I mean, for example, none of us, probably, want to go to prison,

De exemplu, niciunul din noi nu vrem sa ajungem la inchisoare,

but we all think that there are some people who should go to prison. Right?

dar cu totii credem ca exista oameni care ar trebui inchisi. Adevarat?

So, we think we should treat them differently than we would want to be treated.

Deci gândim c-ar trebui sa-i tratam diferit de cum am vrea noi sa fim tratati.

Now, we have a rationale for that.

Avem si o explicatie pentru asta.

We say they did these bad things that make it just that they should go to prison.

Faptele lor rele ne valideaza convingerea ca trebuie sa ajunga la inchisoare.

None of us really extends the golden rule in truly diffuse and universal fashion.

Niciunul nu extindem regula de aur cu adevarat nelimitat si universal.

We have the capacity to carve out exceptions,

Avem capacitatea de-a evidentia exceptiile,

put people in a special category.

de a-i include pe oameni in categorii speciale.

And the problem is that -- although in the case of sending people to prison,

Si problema e ca in cazul trimiterii oamenilor la inchisoare,

you have this impartial judiciary

aveti impartialitatea determinarii juridice,

determining who gets excluded from the golden rule --

prin intermediul careia stiti cine e exclus de la regula de aur,

that in everyday life, the way we all make these decisions

dar in viata de zi cu zi, in felul in care luam deciziile

about who we're not going to extend the golden rule to,

cu privire la cei carora nu le vom aplica regula de aur

is we use a much rougher and readier formula.

folosim o formula mult mai dura si mai excluxiva,

Basically it's just like, if you're my enemy, if you're my rival --

care spune, in principiu: daca esti dusmanul meu, rivalul meu,

if you're not my friend, if you're not in my family --

daca nu esti prietenul meu, daca nu esti din familia mea,

I'm much less inclined to apply the golden rule to you.

sunt mai putin inclinat sa-ti aplic regula de aur.

We all do that,

Cam toti facem lucrul asta,

and you see it all over the world.

se vede peste tot in lume.

You see it in the Middle East:

Se vede in Orientul Mijlociu.

people who, from Gaza, are firing missiles at Israel.

Oameni din Gaza care arunca proiectile in Israel.

They wouldn't want to have missiles fired at them, but they say,

N-ar vrea ca ei sa fie tinta proiectilelor, dar spun :

"Well, but the Israelis, or some of them have done things

"Ei bine, israelienii sau o parte din ei au comis fapte

that put them in a special category."

care-i includ intr-o categorie speciala."

The Israelis would not want to have an economic blockade imposed on them,

Israelienii nu si-ar dori sa le fie impusa o blocada economica,

but they impose one on Gaza, and they say,

dar impun una in Gaza si spun :

"Well, the Palestinians, or some of them, have brought this on themselves."

"Ei bine, palestinienii, sau o parte dintre ei, si-au facut-o cu mana lor."

So, it's these exclusions to the golden rule that amount to a lot of the world's trouble.

Prin urmare, aceasta excludere de la regula de aur sporeste necazurile lumii.

And it's natural to do that.

E natural firii umane sa faca asa.

So, the fact that the golden rule is in some sense built in to us

Deci, desi regula de aur e oarecum innascuta

is not, by itself, going to bring us universal love.

ea nu induce singura dragostea universala.

It's not going to save the world.

Nu va salva lumea.

Now, there's one piece of good news I have that may save the world. Okay.

Dar am o veste buna care ar putea salva lumea.

Are you on the edges of your seats here?

Stati bine pe scaune?

Good, because before I tell you about that good news,

Bine, pentru ca, inainte sa va dau vestea buna,

I'm going to have to take a little excursion through some academic terrain.

va trebui sa fac o incursiune stiintifica intr-un domeniu academic.

So, I hope I've got your attention with this promise of good news

Deci, sper ca v-am captat atentia cu promisunea vestii bune

that may save the world.

care poate salva lumea.

It's this non-zero-sumness stuff you just heard a little bit about.

E vorba de 'suma nenula' despre care ati mai auzit cate ceva.

It's just a quick introduction to game theory.

Sa facem o introducere sumara in teoria jocului.

This won't hurt. Okay.

Nu va strica.

It's about zero-sum and non-zero-sum games.

E vorba de jocurile cu suma nula si suma nenula.

If you ask what kind of a situation

Daca intrebati ce fel de situatie

is conducive to people becoming friends and allies,

ii determina pe oameni sa devina prieteni si aliati,

the technical answer is a non-zero-sum situation.

raspunsul expert este: o situatie cu suma nenula.

And if you ask what kind of situation

Daca intrebati ce fel de situatie

is conducive to people defining people as enemies,

ii determina pe oameni sa-si defineasca semenii ca dusmani,

it's a zero-sum situation.

raspunsul e: o situatie cu suma nula.

So, what do those terms mean?

Deci, ce inseamna acesti termeni?

Basically, a zero-sum game is the kind you're used to in sports,

Un joc de suma nula e adoptat in toate sporturile,

where there's a winner and a loser.

in care exista un invingator si un invins.

So, their fortunes add up to zero.

Deci, succesele lor insumeaza zero.

So, in tennis, every point is either good for you and bad for the other person,

Astfel, in tenis, fiecare punct e fie bun pentru tine si rau pentru celalalt,

or good for them, bad for you.

fie bun pentru oponent dar rau pentru tine.

Either way, your fortunes add up to zero. That's a zero-sum game.

Oricum sansele voastre insumeaza zero. Asta e un joc de suma zero.

Now, if you're playing doubles,

Acum, daca jucati la dublu,

then the person on your side of the net

coechipierul vostru

is in a non-zero-sum relationship with you,

e intr-o relatie de suma nenula cu voi,

because every point is either good for both of you -- positive, win-win --

pentru ca fiecare punct e fie bun pentru amandoi, pozitiv, castigator-castigator,

or bad for both of you, it's lose-lose.

fie rau pentru amandoi, invins-invins.

That's a non-zero-sum game.

Acesta e un joc de suma nenula.

And in real life, there are lots of non-zero-sum games.

In viata reala exista multe jocuri de suma nenula.

In the realm of economics, say, if you buy something:

In domeniul economic, de ex., daca achizitionati ceva,

that means you'd rather have the merchandise than the money,

inseamna ca preferati sa aveti marfa si nu banii,

but the merchant would rather have the money than the merchandise.

iar comerciantul prefera sa aiba banii si nu marfa.

You both feel you've won.

Amandoi simtiti ca ati castigat.

In a war, two allies are playing a non-zero-sum game.

In razboi, doi aliati joaca un joc de suma nenula.

It's going to either be win-win or lose-lose for them.

Se va incheia fie ca invingator-invingator, fie ca invins-invins.

So, there are lots of non-zero-sum games in real life.

Deci, sunt multe jocuri de suma nenula in viata reala.

And you could basically reformulate what I said earlier,

Si puteti reformula ceea ce am afirmat mai devreme

about how compassion is deployed and the golden rule is deployed,

despre modul in care compasiunea si regula de aur sunt aplicate,

by just saying, well, compassion most naturally flows along non-zero-sum channels

concluzionand: compasiunea e oferita firesc pe canalele cu suma nenula,

where people perceive themselves as being in a potentially win-win situation

in care oamenii se percep intr-o potentiala situatie de castigator-castigator

with some of their friends or allies.

alaturi de unii prieteni sau aliati.

The deployment of the golden rule

Aplicarea regulii de aur

most naturally happens along these non-zero-sum channels.

are loc natural in situatii cu sume nenule.

So, kind of webs of non-zero-sumness

Asa ca, aceste rețele de sume nenule

are where you would expect compassion and the golden rule

sunt sferele unde e de asteptat ca regula de aur si compasiunea

to kind of work their magic.

sa faca minuni.

With zero-sum channels you would expect something else.

In situatiile cu suma zero asteptarile sunt diferite.

Okay. So, now you're ready for the good news that I said might save the world.

Acum sunteti pregatiti pentru vestea buna care am spus ca poate salva lumea.

And now I can admit that it might not too,

Acum pot sa admit ca s-ar putea sa n-o salveze,

now that I've held your attention for three minutes of technical stuff.

acum ca v-am retinut atentia trei minute cu lectii teoretice.

But it may. And the good news is that history

Dar, s-ar putea s-o salveze totusi.

has naturally expanded these webs of non-zero-sumness,

Vestea buna e ca istoria a extins natural aceste retele de suma nenula,

these webs that can be these channels for compassion.

aceste canale ale compasiunii.

You can go back all the way to the stone age:

Va puteti intoarce in timp pana in epoca de piatra

technological evolution -- roads, the wheel, writing,

si cred ca, de la revolutia industriala, drumuri, roata, scrisul

a lot of transportation and communication technologies --

multe din tehnologiile folosite in transport si comunicare

has just inexorably made it so that more people

au facut ca, in mod implacabil, mai multi oameni

can be in more non-zero-sum relationships

sa poata fi in relatii de suma nenula

with more and more people at greater and greater distances.

cu tot mai multi oameni aflati la distante tot mai mari.

That's the story of civilization.

Cam asta e istoria civilizatiei.

It's why social organization has grown from the hunter-gatherer village

Asta-i motivul pentru care organizarea sociala a evoluat de la satul vanator-culegator

to the ancient state, the empire, and now here we are in a globalized world.

la statele antice, la imperii, la lumea globala de astazi.

And the story of globalization is largely a story of non-zero-sumness.

Istoria globalizarii e, in mare, o istorie de sume nenule.

You've probably heard the term "interdependence"

Probabil ati auzit termenul interdependenta

applied to the modern world. Well, that's just another term for non-zero-sum.

aplicat lumii moderne. Asta e un alt termen pt. sumele nenule.

If your fortunes are interdependent with somebody,

Daca succesele voastre sunt interdependente cu ale altora

then you live in a non-zero-sum relationship with them.

atunci sunteti intr-o relatie de suma nenula cu acestia.

And you see this all the time in the modern world.

Vedeti asta mereu in lumea moderna.

You saw it with the recent economic crash,

Ati vazut recent in recenta criza economica,

where bad things happen in the economy --

cand lucruri rele s-au intamplat in economie,

bad for everybody, for much of the world.

resimtite de mare parte a planetei.

Good things happen, and it's good for much of the world.

Daca se intampla lucruri bune e bine pentru mare parte a planetei.

And, you know, I'm happy to say, I think there's really evidence

Sunt fericit sa afirm ca exista dovezi clare

that this non-zero-sum kind of connection

ca aceasta conexiune de suma nenula

can expand the moral compass.

poate extinde principiile moralitatii.

I mean, if you look at the American attitudes

Considerati atitudinea americanilor

toward Japanese during World War II --

fata de japonezi in al doilea razboi mondial,

look at the depictions of Japanese

uitati-va la descrierile japonezilor

in the American media as just about subhuman,

in presa americana, ca fiind aproape suboameni,

and look at the fact that we dropped atomic bombs,

si la faptul ca am aruncat bomba atomica,

really without giving it much of a thought --

fara sa gandim prea mult.

and you compare that to the attitude now,

Comparati acea atitudine cu cea de acum.

I think part of that is due to a kind of economic interdependence.

Cred ca in parte se datoreaza interdependentei economice.

Any form of interdependence, or non-zero-sum relationship

Orice forma de interdependenta, de relatie de suma nenula,

forces you to acknowledge the humanity of people.

te forțeaza sa conștientizezi umanitatea oamenilor.

So, I think that's good.

Cred ca asta-i bine.

And the world is full of non-zero-sum dynamics.

Iar lumea e plina de dinamici de suma nenula.

Environmental problems, in many ways, put us all in the same boat.

Problemele de mediu, in multe feluri, ne pun in aceeasi barca.

And there are non-zero-sum relationships that maybe people aren't aware of.

Exista relatii de suma nenula de care oamenii poate nu sunt constienti.

For example, probably a lot of American Christians

De ex., poate ca multi crestini americani

don't think of themselves as being in a non-zero-sum relationship

nu gandesc ca sunt intr-o relatie de suma nenula

with Muslims halfway around the world,

cu musulmanii din cealalta parte a lumii,

but they really are, because if these Muslims become happier and happier

dar sunt, pentru ca, daca musulmanii devin mai multumiti

with their place in the world and feel that they have a place in it,

cu locul lor in lume si simt ca si-au gasit un loc in ea,

that's good for Americans, because there will be fewer terrorists

e bine pentru americani deoarece vor fi mai putini teroristi

to threaten American security.

sa ameninte siguranta americana.

If they get less and less happy, that will be bad for Americans.

Daca devin tot mai nefericiti, va fi rau pentru americani.

So, there's plenty of non-zero-sumness.

Deci, sunt destule sume nenule.

And so, the question is: If there's so much non-zero-sumness,

Intrebarea este : daca sunt atatea sume nenule,

why has the world not yet been suffused in love, peace, and understanding?

de ce lumea n-a fost inundata inca de dragoste, pace si intelegere?

The answer's complicated. It's the occasion for a whole other talk.

Raspunsul e complicat. Poate face subiectul unei alte discutii,

Certainly, a couple of things are that,

dar, cu siguranta, exista doua motive:

first of all, there are a lot of zero-sum situations in the world.

in primul rand exista in lume multe situatii de suma nula.

And also, sometimes people don't recognize

De asemenea, oamenii nu recunosc uneori

the non-zero-sum dynamics in the world.

dinamica sumelor nenule din lume.

In both of these areas,

Cred ca in ambele aspecte,

I think politicians can play a role.

politicienii pot sa joace un rol.

This isn't only about religion.

Nu e vorba doar de religie.

I think politicians can help foster non-zero-sum relationships,

Cred ca politicienii pot stimula relatiile de suma nenula,

Economic engagement is generally better than blockades and so on,

caci parteneriatele economice sunt mai bune decat blocajul

in this regard.

in astfel de situatii.

And politicians can be aware, and should be aware that,

Politicienii pot si ar trebui sa fie constienti

when people around the world are looking at them,

ca oamenii din intreaga lume se uita la ei,

are looking at their nation

se uita la natiunile lor,

and picking up their cues

si le interpreteaza mesajele

for whether they are in a zero-sum or a non-zero-sum relationship with a nation --

ca o relatie de suma nula sau suma nenula cu o natiune.

like, say, America, or any other nation --

De ex., America, sau oricare alta,

human psychology is such that they use cues like:

psihologia umana foloseste indicii cum ar fi:

Do we feel we're being respected?

Simtim ca suntem respectati?

Because, you know, historically, if you're not being respected,

Pentru ca istoric, daca nu esti respectat

you're probably not going to wind up in a non-zero-sum,

probabil nu vei ajunge intr-o relatie de suma nenula,

mutually profitable relationship with people.

din care sa profite ambele parti.

So, we need to be aware of what kind of signals we're sending out.

Deci, trebuie sa fim constienti de semnalele pe care le transmitem.

And some of this, again, is in the realm of political work.

In parte depind de o politica buna.

If there's one thing I can encourage everyone to do,

Un lucru care incurajez pe toti sa-l faca,

politicians, religious leaders, and us,

politicieni, lideri religiosi si noi toti,

it would be what I call "expanding the moral imagination" --

este acela de-a extinde imaginatia morala.

that is to say, your ability to put yourself in the shoes

Asta inseamna abilitatea de-a va pune in locul

of people in very different circumstances.

altor oameni in circumstante foarte diferite.

This is not the same as compassion,

Nu e acelasi lucru cu compasiunea,

but it's conducive to compassion. It opens the channels for compassion.

dar e benefic compasiunii. Deschde caile spre compasiune.

And I'm afraid we have another good news/bad news story,

Si mi-e teama ca aici avem o alta situatie cu vesti bune si vesti rele,

which is that the moral imagination is part of human nature.

anume ca imaginatia morala face parte din natura umana.

That's good, but again we tend to deploy it selectively.

Asta e bine, dar din nou tindem s-o implementam selectiv.

Once we define somebody as an enemy,

Odata ce definim o persoana ca fiindu-ne dusman,

we have trouble putting ourselves in their shoes, just naturally.

ne e greu sa ne punem in pielea lui in mod firesc.

So, if you want to take a particularly hard case for an American:

Daca vreti sa luati un caz dificil, de ex., pentru un american,

somebody in Iran who is burning an American flag, and you see them on TV.

cineva din Iran, care arde un steag american pe care il vedeti la televizor.

Well, the average American is going to resist

Americanii obisnuiti vor fi reticenti in

the moral exercise of putting themselves in that person's head

exercitiul moral de a se transpune in mintea acelei persoane

and is going to resist the idea that they have much in common with that person.

si nu vor accepta ideea ca au multe in comun cu acea persona.

And if you tell them, "Well, they think America disrespects them

Ei bine, ei considera ca America nu-i respecta,

and even wants to dominate them, and they hate America.

ca vrea sa-i domine si urasc America.

Has there ever been somebody who disrespected you so much

A existat vreodata cineva care v-a dispretuit atat de mult

that you kind of hated them briefly"?

incat pe scurt i-ati cam urat?

You know, they'll resist that comparison and that's natural, that's human.

Vor respinge acea comparatie si e natural, e firesc.

And, similarly, the person in Iran:

Si, la fel, o persoana din Iran,

when you try to humanize somebody in America who said that Islam is evil,

cand incercati sa umanizati pe cineva din America care a afirmat ca Islamul e malefic,

they'll have trouble with that.

va avea o problema cu asta.

So, it's a very difficult thing to get people to expand the moral imagination

Prin urmare e dificil sa determini oamenii sa-si extinda imaginatia morala

to a place it doesn't naturally go.

intr-o arie in care nu apare firesc.

I think it's worth the trouble because,

Cred ca merita efortul pentru ca

again, it just helps us to understand.

ne ajuta sa intelegem,

If you want to reduce the number of people who are burning flags,

daca vreti sa reduceti numarul celor care ard steaguri,

it helps to understand what makes them do it.

sa intelegem ce-i determina s-o faca.

And I think it's good moral exercise.

Si cred ca e un bun exercitiu moral.

I would say here is where religious leaders come in,

Asta e domeniul in care liderii religiosi pot interveni,

because religious leaders are good at reframing issues for people,

pentru ca ei sunt specialisti in a reformula problemele pentru oameni,

at harnessing the emotional centers of the brain

captand centrul emotional al creierului

to get people to alter their awareness and reframe the way they think.

pentru a-i determina pe oameni sa inteleaga si sa-si reevalueze gandirea.

I mean, religious leaders are kind of in the inspiration business.

Vreau sa spun ca liderii religiosi fac afaceri cu inspiratia.

It's their great calling right now,

E marea lor chemare acum

to get people all around the world better at expanding their moral imaginations,

sa-i determine pe oamenii din intreaga lume sa-si extinda imaginatia morala

appreciating that in so many ways they're in the same boat.

constientizand ca din multe puncte de vedere sunt in aceeasi barca.

I would just sum up the way things look, at least from this secular perspective,

As rezuma aparenta lucrurilor din perspectiva lumeasca,

as far as compassion and the golden rule go,

in ce priveste compasiunea si regula de aur,

by saying that it's good news that compassion and the golden rule

afirmand ca e o veste buna faptul ca regula de aur si compasiunea

are in some sense built into human nature.

sunt intr-un fel innascute naturii umane.

It's unfortunate that they tend to be selectively deployed.

E regretabil ca tind sa fie implementate selectiv.

And it's going to take real work to change that.

Va trebui mult efort pentru a schimba asta.

But, nobody ever said that doing God's work was going to be easy. Thanks.

Dar nimeni n-a spus ca a face munca lui Dumnezeu va fi usor. Multumesc.

(Applause)

Aplauze.