When asked what I am working on, I often say I am writing a book about empathy. People tend to smile and nod, and then I add, “I’m against it.” This usually gets an uncomfortable laugh.
This reaction surprised me at first, but I’ve come to realize that taking a position against empathy is like announcing that you hate kittens—a statement so outlandish it can only be a joke. And so I’ve learned to clarify, to explain that I am not against morality, compassion, kindness, love, being a good neighbor, doing the right thing, and making the world a better place. My claim is actually the opposite: if you want to be good and do good, empathy is a poor guide.
With responses from
- Peter Singer
- Jack W. Berry, Lynn E. O’Connor
- Marianne LaFrance
- Nomy Arpaly
- Christine Montross
- Barbara H. Fried
- Leslie Jamison
- Leonardo Christov-Moore, Marco Iacoboni
- Simon Baron-Cohen
- Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig
- Sam Harris
- Jesse Prinz
Also see Responses to:
The Baby in the Well, The Case Against Empathy
By Paul Bloom – New Yorker Magazine
