A controversial call to arms, Against Empathy argues that the natural impulse to share the feelings of others can lead to immoral choices in both public policy and in our intimate relationships with friends and family.
Most people, including many policy makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers, have encouraged us to be more empathetic - to feel the pain and pleasure of others. Yale researcher and author Paul Bloom argues that this is a mistake. Far from leading us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it and draw upon a more distanced compassion.
Based on groundbreaking scientific findings, Against Empathy makes the case that some of the worst decisions that individuals and nations make - who to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and who to put in prison - are too often motivated by honest yet misplaced emotions. With clear and witty prose, Bloom demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system; from culture and education to foreign policy and war. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and ultimately more moral.
Bound to be controversial, Against Empathy shows us that when it comes to major policy decisions and the choices we make in our everyday lives, limiting our empathetic emotions is often the most compassionate choice we can make.
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Against Empathy from Boston Review. Photograph: Samantha Stock When asked what I am working on, I often say I am writing a book about empathy. People tend to smile ...
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Free empathy papers, essays, and research papers. ... These results are sorted by most relevant first (ranked search). You may also sort these by color rating or ...
Hi , I liked the three different distinctions for empathy. I work in the field of Conflict Resolution. More and more I have become interested in how to help prevent ...
Everybody agrees that empathy is crucial to risk communication. Vincent Covello, for example, argues that caring/empathy accounts for fifty percent of trust; the ...
SCHREIBER'S AWESOME GLOSSARY (Clinical terms you've been unsure of, but were afraid to ask about.) Learn, Heal and Grow.
The Lack of Empathy trope as used in popular culture. Empathy is the ability to share in another person's emotions. The capability to be happy because …
LACK OF EMPATHY – OUCH! A hurtful act is the transference to others of the degradation which we bear in ourselves. – Simone Weil. One can always be ...
Sam Keen describes a friend’s lament about the consequences of not listening deeply: “Long ago and far away, I expected love to be light and easy and without failure.
