Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 21 hours ago
David Sloan Wilson shares his opening keynote for the Compassionate Action Conference 2026 on May 13, 2026.
In both natural and cultural living systems, evolution doesn't automatically make everything nice. Often, it results in outcomes that benefit me but not you, us but not them, or our short-term gain at the expense of the long view.
The kind of harmony envisioned by this conference can evolve, but only when special conditions are met.
These special conditions have become fairly well understood in the study of natural living systems and provide a set of conceptual and methodological tools for evolving effective compassionate action in cultural living systems. Using these tools, the Charter for Compassion can become a powerful force for good across all contexts and scales.
Learn more about the Charter for Compassion here: charterforcompassion.org
David Sloan Wilson shares his opening keynote for the Compassionate Action Conference 2026 on May 13, 2026.
In both natural and cultural living systems, evolution doesn't automatically make everything nice. Often, it results in outcomes that benefit me but not you, us but not them, or our short-term gain at the expense of the long view.
The kind of harmony envisioned by this conference can evolve, but only when special conditions are met.
These special conditions have become fairly well understood in the study of natural living systems and provide a set of conceptual and methodological tools for evolving effective compassionate action in cultural living systems. Using these tools, the Charter for Compassion can become a powerful force for good across all contexts and scales.
Learn more about the Charter for Compassion here: charterforcompassion.org
