The universal call: Jane Goodall encourages empathy with all beings
(Global Heart) The world recently paused to mourn the loss of Dame Jane Goodall, the legendary primatologist, anthropologist, and tireless advocate for the natural world, who passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on October 1, 2025. Her passing marks the end of an extraordinary life dedicated to science, conservation, and hope.
Lessons from Gombe: A new perspective on the animal kingdom
Jane Goodall’s remarkable journey began in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, where her unconventional and patient approach to studying chimpanzees revolutionized science. Her most famous discovery was observing chimpanzees using tools, specifically stripping leaves from twigs to “fish” for termites. This observation challenged the long-held belief that only humans made and used tools.
Moreover, by observing and acknowledging their complex emotional lives, problem-solving abilities, and deep family bonds, she demonstrated that animals are not mere biological machines but sentient individuals. This realization—that chimps experience joy, sorrow, fear, and love just as humans do—forms the bedrock of her appeal for universal empathy.
She always emphasized that once we genuinely see the individual behind the species, it becomes impossible to cause harm without feeling a profound disconnect from our own humanity.
Extending the circle of compassion
Essential to Goodall’s philosophy was that the concept of empathy extends far beyond our closest primate relatives. She argued that we must extend our circle of compassion to all living things—plants, insects, and entire ecosystems—because everything is interconnected. She asserted that the suffering inflicted on the environment or other creatures ultimately rebounds to harm human well-being.
- Interconnectedness: A fundamental theme in her philosophy is the intertwined web of life. Destroying a forest, for example, doesn’t just eliminate trees and animals; it disrupts climate patterns, affects water sources, and threatens human communities reliant on that ecosystem.
- The power of choice: Goodall encouraged everyone to recognize the cumulative power of their ethical choices. From the food they eat (considering its source) to the products they buy (assessing their environmental impact), every small decision is an opportunity to practice empathy and contribute to a more sustainable world.
From scientist to activist
The 1980s marked a turning point in Goodall’s career. She shifted her focus from pure research to global activism after witnessing the devastating effects of habitat destruction on chimp populations and the poverty faced by human communities surrounding the forests. She realized that conservation could not succeed without addressing the needs of local people. This insight led to the establishment of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in 1977 and the creation of her global youth program, Roots & Shoots, in 1991.
Hope and action
Despite the daunting scale of global environmental crises, Goodall remained a tireless advocate for hope. Her optimism was rooted in four key areas:
- The amazing human brain: Our capacity for problem-solving and innovation, when directed by ethical concern, can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.
- The resilience of nature: Given a chance, nature has an extraordinary ability to regenerate and heal.
- The power of youth: Through her global youth program, Roots & Shoots, Goodall empowered young people to initiate positive change in their communities, proving that a movement built on empathy is already growing worldwide.
- The indomitable human spirit: (Referring to the people working against all odds to achieve the impossible).
Ultimately, in encouraging us to connect with the spark of life and by urging us to recognize the shared sentience in all beings, Jane Goodall didn’t just ask us to be kind; she called us to a radical re-evaluation of our place in the world, urging us to become active participants in a global, compassionate community. Her message is clear: When we choose empathy, we choose life.
Goodall traveled nearly 300 days a year, carrying her message of hope through action to packed auditoriums around the globe, right up until the time of her passing.
Her legacy, therefore, is not found in the past, but in the constant choice we make today and tomorrow to turn hope into action, just as she did.
Source: Global Heart
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