Empathy - a Philosophical Discussion.

[the_great_she_elephant]

Something to exercise your Monday brains

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What is empathy?

How does it differ from sympathy?

Do animals feel emapthy or is it a purely human trait.?

Is it something intrinsic to human nature, or a learned emotion?

Is it something we all have or a luxury  only affordable by those for whom life is not a continual struggle for survival?

Can you empathise with someone and still treat them like bleep?

I have  my own thoughts on these questions, but I thought I'd throw it open to everyone else first and see what your ideas are. Feel free to add other questions on the subject if you think I've missed any.

[j*oono]

Strange that you should ask She_el because it is well known that elephants do feel empathy.

Here is one article from National Geographic.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/2014/02/140221-elephants-poaching-empathy-grief-extinctio...

No, I don't think you can empathise with someone and treat them badly unless you are a jerk.

[*lady*godiva*]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

Something to exercise your Monday brains

.

What is empathy?

How does it differ from sympathy?

Do animals feel emapthy or is it a purely human trait.?

Is it something intrinsic to human nature, or a learned emotion?

Is it something we all have or a luxury  only affordable by those for whom life is not a continual struggle for survival?

Can you empathise with someone and still treat them like bleep?

I have  my own thoughts on these questions, but I thought I'd throw it open to everyone else first and see what your ideas are. Feel free to add other questions on the subject if you think I've missed any.

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Empathy: Understanding other people's situation because you can relate to it. "walk a mile in my shoes" "I used to cry because I had no shoes, then I saw a boy who had no feet"

Sympathy: Acknowledgement of a situation like a death and providing emotional support.

Animals: Not capable of empathy

Intrinsic: It's not intrinsic, but depends on your personality. Some are incapable of thinking of other people and believe that their situation surpasses anything that another could feel/experience. "self centered people"

Empathy is non discriminatory - rich and poor alike, sick or healthy, some are able to empathise with the plight of others - rich: Bill Gates vs Gina Rheinheart, Christopher Reeve Lady Di - Poor: Mother Theresa, , Ghandi, Nelson Mandella - Some people who struggle are so consumed with just getting through the day that they don't have the capacity to have concern for others. Others do.

Yes, you can empathise with someone and still treat them badly. A judge may feel empathy for a murderer and understand why they did what they did, but still send them to prison anyway because that is what they have to do. We saw this many times in WW2, where it broke people's hearts to do what they did, but for purposes of self preservation they did it anyway. I think this goes back to even the Bible where someone (Judas?) denounced Jesus, even though he loved him.(I think) He felt bad and ashamed by his actions, but he did it anyway.

[j*oono]

I don't think all animals feel empathy but certainly some do.  For example dogs can show great concern for others and yet a sheep will just walk away and leave a newborn if it is feeble. 

Also there is such a thing as a Judas sheep that will lead others up the ramp to slaughter.  I don't think it feels any empathy.

[lind9650]

I agree with lady-G, but regarding animals I am not so sure.

Once upon a time I lived in a house that backed up against the local pound. One very hot day we saw a young goat tied to a stake, no shade, no water. The poor thing was just laying there. Our little foxy-whipped cross kept running through the fence back and fforth, barking at us. When my OH took a dish with water, climbed over the fnce and placed it next to the goat, also attached some hessian to some stakes for a bit of shade, our dog sat down next to the goat and would not come home. He stayed there until the next day when OH rang the Shire and someone came to remove the goat that had died overnight.

Why would our beloved dog abandon his comfortable bed and food dish to keep company with a sick and dying animal if he had no empathy?

Erica

[the_great_she_elephant]

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@j*oono wrote:

I don't think all animals feel empathy but certainly some do.  For example dogs can show great concern for others and yet a sheep will just walk away and leave a newborn if it is feeble. 

Also there is such a thing as a Judas sheep that will lead others up the ramp to slaughter.  I don't think it feels any empathy.

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What about preditory animals and I'm thinking particularly of chimpanzees who sometimes hunt, kill and eat colobus monkeys. Do they have any awareness of the fear and pain they cause their prey?

And what about those in  terrorist groups - particularly ISIS.They can't all be psychopaths, so, regardless of any religious or nationalistic motives, are they unable to imagine what it feels like to be their victims or do they understand but just not care?

[*mrgrizz*]

is Bob being channelled through you somehow?

[kilroy_is_here]

You don't need to be a phsycopath to hurt or kill others, you can be indoctrinated into believing that certain types of people are below you or sub human, from there it is a very small step to justify harming or killing that group of people, by marking a group as sub human or just above animals it makes it easier to treat them as disposable , hitler did it with the Jews , Isis are doing it with any one who dis agrees with them

[azureline**]

I think empathy is also a trait in some animals, just as in some humans.

As for those who kill or hurt others, I do believe there is something lacking in their psyche, people who join cults for example.................. usually an issue with their mental state. 

[cherry*135]

Self-absorbed people (narcissitic personality) have little or no empathy for others. That doesn't mean they would be capable of or willing to intentionally kill someone though.