Empathy - a Philosophical Discussion.

[the_great_she_elephant]

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.

[polksaladallie]

I think people here have confused empathy with sympathy.

You have empathy with, and sympathy for.

Empathy and Sympathy

Writers often confuse empathy and sympathy. These two words are similar in meaning, but they are not the same. If you use the wrong one, you will either change the meaning of your sentence or be spotted as someone who doesn't know the difference.

Empathy denotes the ability to understand and share the feelings of another (having shared the same, or a similar, experience).

Sympathy denotes feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune

[cmcoins2000]

---

@kilroy_is_here wrote:
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

---

And what about SLAVERY.

The buying & selling of human beings, the conditions they were forced to endure, the harsh treatment & worst of all being denied 'freedom'.

Mainly occured in 'so called Christian' societies. 

[polksaladallie]

---

@cmcoins2000 wrote:

---

And what about SLAVERY.

The buying & selling of human beings, the conditions they were forced to endure, the harsh treatment & worst of all being denied 'freedom'.

Mainly occured in 'so called Christian' societies. 

---

Is still occurring this very minute.  Humans trafficked into slavery and worse, aged from before birth to who knows what age.

[i-need-a-martini]

Personally I believe that empathy is the single most important human trait to have. Nothing else is as important.

It can be innate - children generally have it anyway - and then we lose it as we grow 'wiser' and older unless we work hard to keep it.

My father taught me to always look at all issues from all sides and all possibilities and to ask the "what if" question about anything/anyone I was unsure about.  I am bringing my kids up exactly the same way.

[kilroy_is_here]

---

@cmcoins2000 wrote:

---

@kilroy_is_here wrote:
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

---

And what about SLAVERY.

The buying & selling of human beings, the conditions they were forced to endure, the harsh treatment & worst of all being denied 'freedom'.

Mainly occured in 'so called Christian' societies. 

---

gee you need to look at history a little closer slavery has taken place in just about every society for thousands of years it well and truly pre dates christian society by a very long time, its been happening for as long as genocide has, standard military practice for lots of armies was to invade a town kill all the men of fighting age enslave the women and children of non fighting age and move their own people into the town

[i-need-a-martini]

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

I think they do. Dolphns and dogs are a good example.

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

Both. Babies cry when they hear other babies cry. Children reach out to other children when they are hurt. But it also needs to be reinforced as they grow older or they lose it.

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

People that struggle still have empatht. In fact I would suggest that they have more. A good example is the many tests done that show that poorer people are most likely to give money to someone in need.

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

No. People who don't have empathy are not nice people in general. 

[twyngwyn]

an old boss of mine was certainly a sociopath....lacked empathy (among other things) but would 'behave' sympathetically if it was in his interest. I don't think you can fake empathy - you either have it or you don't

[the_great_she_elephant]

Some really interesting comments.

As most of you know, I am a writer of children's fiction and empathy - being able to imagine what it would be like to be one of my characters and understand what makes them tick - is an essential tool of my trade. But being able to empathise with my characters des not mean I have to sympthise with them, one or two of them have been most unpleasant.

when I think of the difference between empathy and sympathy I am reminded of the words of Dame Mary Gilmore in her poem Nationality.

All men at God's round table sit

And all men must be fed,

But this loaf in my hand,

This loaf  is my son's bread.

Maybe it is sympathy, not empathy, that is only affordabl to those for whom life is not a continual struggle for survival.

[j*oono]

I think you have it all wrong She_el.  Why would any person not feel empathy?  Just because they haven't experienced a situation doesn't mean they can't imagine what it would be like.

An empathetic judge might set a lighter sentence.  A sympathetic judge that didn't empathise would send a slightly harsher sentence.  One that felt neither of those feelings would bring down the full force of the law.

[i-need-a-martini]

Joono - I agree you don't think you need experience something to feel empathy. But I there ARE people that do not have empathy at all.

There are some good examples on CS. I feel empathy with refugees but I have never been one. My empathy comes from my ability to put myself in their shoes and understand why they are doing what they are doing. Yet there are many on this forum who show a complete lack of empathy and do all they can disassociating themselves form understanding how these people feel.