As in a Russian doll, however, the outer layers always contain an inner core. Instead of evolution having replaced simpler forms of empathy with more advanced ones, the latter are merely elaborations on the former and remain dependent on them. This also means that empathy comes naturally to us. It is not something we only learn later in life, or that is culturally constructed.

Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.

Octopuses have hundreds of suckers, each one equipped with its own ganglion with thousands of neurons. These 'mini-brains' are interconnected, making for a widely distributed nervous system. That is why a severed octopus arm may crawl on its own and even pick up food.

Male chimpanzees have an extraordinarily strong drive for dominance. They're constantly jockeying for position.

Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.

If you want to design a successful human society you need to know what kind of animal we are. Are we a social animal or a selfish animal? Do we respond better when we're solitary or living in a group?

Religion may have become a codification of morality, and it may fortify it, but it's not the origin of it.