Abstract
In a world marked by conflict, inequality, polarization, loneliness, and fear, can compassion become a force for transformative change? Is compassion merely a moral ideal, or can it be understood as a measurable and actionable driver of societal progress?
In this Synergy Talk, Nobel Laureate Martin Chalfie engages in conversation with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi. Drawing on his decades-long work for children’s rights and on the ideas of his recent book Karuna – The Power of Compassion, Satyarthi argues that compassion is not a private sentiment but a powerful force capable of shaping institutions, communities, and global systems.
What can science tell us about compassion as a human capacity? Can compassion be cultivated, scaled, and integrated into responses to today’s global challenges? And what role might it play in building more resilient, just, and peaceful societies?
Bringing together perspectives from peacebuilding and scientific inquiry, this dialogue explores whether compassion could become one of humanity’s most important resources for the future.
