Awarded the "Prälat Leopold Ungar Prize 2011 for excellent journalism"

People are self-centered and greed is a basic characteristic of humans. This is what many scientists believe and our economic system is built on these assumptions. Now, however, economic scientists and neurobiologists are rectifying this error: cooperation is the true basic mechanism of evolution. Kurt Langbein and Gottfried Derka document experiments and research findings for the series "Kreuz & Quer" and show that at our core, humans act and think in altruistic ways.

"In this film essay the two journalists proved, that humans can only survive through social skills like empathy, commitment and solidarity. They show that at our core, humans think and act altruistically whenever the conditions allow. This statement juxtaposes the prevailing capitalistic philosophy and can inspire solutions for many societal problems. The documentary provides many light-bulb moments and is an exciting combination of scientific research, well-thought out experiments and stories of people who support the theories with their experiences and actions", says the jury to explain their verdict.