There’s an interesting discussion of empathy in a column by Paul Bloom at The New Yorker. Bloom begins by summarizing the generally good press that empathy gets these days, because it is seen as humanizing our responses to the sufferings…
I think Bloom’s point must be taken. But what, really, is this point? That empathy isn’t self-sufficient? It certainly isn’t. To operate effectively it needs the assistance of reason and the weighing of empirical evidence. I agree with him too – as I’ve argued on my own account in a recent paper – that ‘it is impossible to empathize with seven billion strangers’. At the same time, how damning is it of empathy to point out that it is not all we require? Reason is also not all we require, but it is no less precious for all that. Empathy, in conjunction with other human faculties, is an invaluable way towards solidarity with others and humane action.
