Are altruism and empathy innate qualities ?

Does wealth dehumanize people?

by Emuna Braverman

An interesting experiment took place at Berkeley recently. It involved a game of monopoly - but with unusual rules.  One player was given $2000 to start and $200 every time he passed Go. The other participant was given half that. Initially the player with the unfair advantage felt uncomfortable. But soon he began to feel powerful and dismissive. Ultimately he became dispassionate and emotionless, focused solely on winning.

The psychologist, Paul Piff, who constructed this experiment, believes it supports his thesis that living high on the socioeconomic ladder dehumanizes people. He suggests that the rich are more selfish and less empathic than others. This seems to reflect a belief that altruism and empathy are innate qualities, destroyed by life's circumstances, particularly the financial ones. 

I believe the Torah would suggest otherwise, that people are innately self-centered and lacking empathy and that part of the goal of life is to work to develop these qualities.

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