09.09.2021

Pleasures and Pains of Empathy

neuer Blog-Beitrag von Prof. Thomas Schramme

Empathy has a mixed reputation in moral philosophy. Some scholars think empathy is a pro-social phenomenon that connects people through an invisible bond. Others believe empathy leads to parochialism and unfairness. Such contradictory assessments of empathy are not surprising if we consider our own experiences with empathy. Occasionally, in the right circumstances and a fitting frame of mind, it will help us understanding even fairly unknown people and hence possibly play a role in acting according to their interest – which is at least one important aspect of acting morally. At other occasions we might feel overwhelmed by, say, the needy situation of another person, so that we shut down all empathic feelings and ignore any relevant moral demands.

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