Bio section
About me
Marc Gopin
Marc Gopin
I’m Marc Gopin, and for over three decades, I’ve been deeply committed to helping people build peaceful relationships—not only between nations and communities, but in ways that nourish their own hearts and minds. As the founder of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution, and a professor at George Mason University, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside courageous individuals facing some of the world’s toughest conflicts.
Over the years, I’ve trained, taught, and coached thousands of students and clients worldwide, guiding them in compassionate reasoning and healing practices. This experience has shown me firsthand the transformative power of compassion and ethical clarity.
My journey has taught me that true peace begins within, with kindness and understanding for ourselves and others. That’s why I wrote Compassionate Reasoning: Changing the Mind to Change the World—offering a new way of thinking about moral reasoning grounded in compassion, service, and active care, capable of transforming relationships and the health of whole communities.
I also authored Healing the Heart of Conflict: Eight Crucial Steps to Making Peace with Yourself and with Others—a practical, step-by-step guide born from real stories and struggles, helping people deepen self-knowledge as they heal conflicts within and between themselves and others.
I’ve been honored to work quietly behind the scenes with leaders across serious divides and to share stories that inspire hope through media such as CNN and NPR. My greatest joy is guiding people like you on a path toward clarity, courage, and accomplishment.
If you’re ready to explore a compassionate way forward—whether in your personal life, work, leadership, relationships, or community—I’m here to help and guide you toward a flourishing future.
Credentials
Credentials
Director, Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC)
James H. Laue Professor, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University
Author of Compassionate Reasoning: Changing the Mind to Change the World (Oxford University Press, 2021)
Author of Healing the Heart of Conflict: Eight Crucial Steps to Making Peace with Yourself and with Others
Author of Bridges Across an Impossible Divide: The Inner Lives of Arab and Jewish Peacemakers (Oxford University Press, 2012)
Author of To Make the Earth Whole: The Art of Citizen Diplomacy in an Age of Religious Militancy (2009)
Author of Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2002)
Author of Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence and Peacemaking (Oxford University Press, 2000)
Recipient, Andrew Thomas Peacebuilder Award, New York State Dispute Resolution Association
Recipient, Rumi Peace and Dialogue Award
Ph.D. with honors, Brandeis University, 1993
Featured guest on CNN, CNN International, NPR, Voice of America, and national public radios of Sweden and Northern Ireland
Published contributor to International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and more
Engaged in back-channel diplomacy with religious, political, and military figures in major conflicts worldwide
Podcasting
Welcome to Making Change: A podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better.
The human mind is the key to reacting in a more constructive way to current events and life's challenges. Not only can training our thinking help us understand what is happening, it gives us a path forward to change our lives, our communities, and our world for the better.
Making Change is an exploration of neuroscience, ethics , politics, and best conflict resolution practices when it comes to the challenges and opportunities we have to build a better world.
Can you help me with a difficult crossroads that I am facing?
Yes, we can. Simply explain the crossroads, your thoughts, your emotions, your choices, and your hopes, and we will answer deeply and appropriately to your exact situation.
Can you help me with a complicated work siutation that has great promise but great risk, and do it in a way that I can survive, flourish, and grow?
Yes, we can, just give me the details, without identifiers, the moral dilemmas, the hopes, the ways in which you need compassionate understanding and compassionate care, and some real hoped-for outcomes.
I am very confused as to where to put my talents, my energies and my love for people, especially when there is conflict.
Lay out the exact conflicts, the love and care you feel and need yourself, the ways in which you feel confused, and we will lay out a path forward based on Compassionate Reasoning.