This is the definition and view of empathy that Bloom devotes most of the book to exploring. Bloom writes:Īs Adam Smith put it, we have the capacity to think about another person and “place ourselves in his situation and become in some measure the same person with him, and thence form some idea of his sensations, and even feel something which, though weaker in degree, is not altogether unlike them.” Bloom quotes one team of empathy researchers who joke that “there are probably nearly as many definitions of empathy as people working on this topic.” For his part, Bloom defines empathy as “the act of coming to experience the world as you think someone else does.” This type of empathy was explored by philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment. What Is Empathy?Įmpathy is an often-used word that can mean different things. To explore these questions, we first need to define what we’re talking about. As the title suggests, Bloom’s book makes a case against empathy as an inherent force for good and takes a closer look at what empathy is (and is not), how empathy works in our brains, how empathy can lead to immoral outcomes despite our best intentions, and how we can improve our ability to have a positive impact by strengthening our intelligence, compassion, self-control, and ability to reason. These are questions Paul Bloom tackles in his book Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion. But is this true? Does empathy make us appreciate others, help us behave in moral ways, or help us make better decisions? The implicit message in these pleas is that empathy will make us treat each other with more respect and caring and will help reduce violence. As with Barack Obama’s quote above, we are encouraged to actively build empathy with others - especially those who are different from us.

You don’t have to look hard to find quotes expounding the need for more empathy in society. We are in great need of people being able to stand in somebody else’s shoes and see the world through their eyes.” - Barack Obama “The biggest deficit that we have in our society and in the world right now is an empathy deficit.

Against empathy