7/2/2023 0 Comments Bloom against empathy![]() To empathize with someone is to put yourself in her shoes, to feel her pain. The word “empathy” is used in many ways, but here I am adopting its most common meaning, which corresponds to what eighteenth-century philosophers such as Adam Smith called “sympathy.” It refers to the process of experiencing the world as others do, or at least as you think they do. ![]() My claim is actually the opposite: if you want to be good and do good, empathy is a poor guide. 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. 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. People tend to smile and nod, and then I add, “I’m against it.” This usually gets an uncomfortable laugh. ![]() ![]() When asked what I am working on, I often say I am writing a book about empathy. ![]()
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