“Empathy” has become a cultural buzzword. After all, people don’t have enough of it, and the world would be a better place if everyone could just develop a stronger sense of empathy with those around them. At least, that’s what people are saying:
The biggest deficit that we have in our society and in the world right now is an empathy deficit. –Barack Obama
The scariest aspect of bullying is the total lack of empathy. –Emily Bazelton
Behind every progressive policy lies a single moral value: empathy… –George Lakoff
For many, “more empathy” is the answer to a wide range of societal issues. But is it? Paul Bloom, psychology professor at Yale University, sets up his book – Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion – provocatively enough:
I am against empathy, and one of the goals of this book is to persuade you to be against empathy too.
Let’s see what he has to say…
We’ve all had times where our thoughts have held us hostage, where we’ve been captives to a blind rage, intoxicating lust, or crippling anxiety – and afterwards, we’re generally left worse off.
Darn Ecology 