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Altruism scholar to speak at Sac State

Kristen Monroe

UC Irvine philosophy and political science professor Kristen Monroe will visit Sacramento State from noon to 1:30 p.m., Monday, May 5 in the Auburn Suite to discuss her groundbreaking research into altruism.

To determine what makes some people more altruistic than others, Monroe conducted in-depth interviews with people from across the altruism spectrum. She interviewed entrepreneurs who profit personally from innovation, philanthropists who give to help others, heroes who put themselves at risk to help others, and rescuers—specifically people who saved Jews in Nazi Germany, who had no chance of profiting from their deeds and faced certain death if discovered.

Monroe concluded that the level of people’s altruism was connected to their sense of their connection to all humanity. The stronger that sense of connection, the more altruistic one’s behavior becomes, she said.

“She’s really done the best scholarly research there is that explains why some people behave altruistically, and some act selfishly,” said Serna Center director Ted Lascher. “It’s really cutting-edge work on motivation. It’s empirical, rigorous, intellectually interesting research that also happens to be very moving.”

Monroe’s research on altruism is the basis for her two books: The Heart of Altruism: Perceptions of a Common Humanity, and The Hand of Compassion: Portraits of Moral Choice during the Holocaust.

Monroe’s appearance is sponsored by the Serna Center, the Department of Public Policy and Administration, and the Women’s Resource Center.