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.

[*lady*godiva*]

Isorry

[lloydslights]

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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?

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I would think most humans are born with empathy.  But it can "wear off" in harsh and hardened surroundings.  That is, it is not encouraged by some parents to feel for other people's feelings and circumstances;  and thence the young haven't an empathetic model to follow.

As mentioned here on CS also, in times of war and crime, guards, police, spies and soldiers have a job to do.  It is the job that has precedence over personal feelings. Some may argue that if they didn't have empathy, they wouldn't consider those jobs.  Again, I know of a person who joined the Police because she has empathy, the need to help and assist those who have been affected by crime. Just as soldiers do their job to deflect the enemy from creating more real or perceived harm.

I find males in particular, don't display empathy openly.  They cover it with bravado.  Empathy can be seen as a sign of weakness, and they don't want to seem "soft".  But they are very capable of having empathy.  

DEB

[*lady*godiva*]

The definitions of the words say that to feel empathy, you must have experienced it, if you have to imagine what you think it might be like, then that is sympathy

if you haven't experienced it, you can't empathise with it.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@*lady*godiva* wrote:

The definitions of the words say that to feel empathy, you must have experienced it, if you have to imagine what you think it might be like, then that is sympathy

if you haven't experienced it, you can't empathise with it.

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I have to disagree 100%. Respectfully of course lol!

I live a very comfortable life and have never experienced hardship. Yet my empathy levels are extremely high. And I am quite proud of that.

Sympathy is a more shallow feeling. It is understanding a persons emotions from a 2nd person point of view.

Empathy is understanding a persons emotions/actions from a 1st person point of view by appreciating how YOU would feel and being able to imagine your actions if you were in their place.

I can feel sympathy for someone who's husband has died and offer them support.

But it is only empathy if I can imagine what my life would be like without my husband, how my day to day world would change, the despair I would feel etc.

[lloydslights]

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@lloydslights wrote:

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As mentioned here on CS also, in times of war and crime, guards, police, spies and soldiers have a job to do.  It is the job that has precedence over personal feelings. Some may argue that if they didn't did have empathy, they wouldn't consider those jobs.  Again, I know of a person who joined the Police because she has empathy, the need to help and assist those who have been affected by crime. Just as soldiers do their job to deflect the enemy from creating more real or perceived harm.

DEB

 *****TOO LATE TO EDIT EARLIER **************

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[*lady*godiva*]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@*lady*godiva* wrote:

The definitions of the words say that to feel empathy, you must have experienced it, if you have to imagine what you think it might be like, then that is sympathy

if you haven't experienced it, you can't empathise with it.

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I have to disagree 100%. Respectfully of course lol!

I live a very comfortable life and have never experienced hardship. Yet my empathy levels are extremely high. And I am quite proud of that.

Sympathy is a more shallow feeling. It is understanding a persons emotions from a 2nd person point of view.

Empathy is understanding a persons emotions/actions from a 1st person point of view by appreciating how YOU would feel and being able to imagine your actions if you were in their place.

I can feel sympathy for someone who's husband has died and offer them support.

But it is only empathy if I can imagine what my life would be like without my husband, how my day to day world would change, the despair I would feel etc.

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That's ok - the thread inspired me to have a bit of a google when I saw opposing views to my own - that's just what I learned when I googled

Interesting, thought provoking topic

[the_bob_delusion]

 I'm a bit tired at the moment, will read it tomorrow but I think this is more a scientific discussion rather than a philosophical one. 

[*lady*godiva*]

Martini

when I consulted the encyclopedia of google, I drew this conclusion

When I say I empathise with someone, what I am really saying is "yep, I know exactly what you mean, I have experienced that myself"

Whin I say I have sympathy for someone, what I am really saying is "I am sorry that this has happened to you, but I have never experienced that, so can really only imagine how you must feel based on.........

For example - if someone has a sore back

I can't say that i empathise with them because I have never experienced a sore back.

I can however say that I do sympathise with them because I have known others who have had a sore back, and have myself had a sore knee, so I can imagine the pain and discomfort that you are experiencing, based on those experiences and that knolege and I am sorry that you have to go through that...

and I think the distinction is important.

For example - someone who has something like in the fibriomyalgia thread. I don't have it, so I can't empathise with how these people feel. If they need to talk, I am not someone who can offer first hand experience. What I can do is offer sympathy - be sorry that they are hurting

Empathy is the foundation for support groups. Alcoholics Anonymous, Depression groups, deceased children groups, canceer groups - people who have shared the same experiences as you, not just ones who imagine what you must be going through

A rape victim.

I have never experienced this in any capacity. I have seen it on tv and heard it talked about and I think I could imagine how it would make someone feel, so I could only sympathise with their situation, I can't empathise withn it, because I will never truly know what they are experiencing emotionally/physically unless i have been there myself

A person who can't have children

I know how i feel about my children, so I can imagine how a person may feel who wants them and can't have any, but I can't empathise with them, because I am not and have not been in that situation.

They say you never understand your parents until you have been a parent yourself - I think that's the distinction.

You are very interested inthe welfare of muslims in Australia. They are in your community, and you have muslim friends. Thus, you don't emphasise with the challenges that they face because you are not a Muslim trying to live in Australia, so you cannot know how they feel, but you can have sympathy for their plight because you know enough about their situation, and know how they have been made to feel, so you can feel bad for them that they have to feel that way/be treated like that.

However, as you are an immigrant, you could empathise with them on topics related to general immigration, but not Muslim specific,

[lloydslights]

I think there are degrees of empathy.

I remember feeling empathy for a friend whose mother died.  I (selfishly?) couldn't imagine what it was like, but was sad for her.  It now seems pathetic really, my lack of true, deep empathy.

Following my own mother's death,  when others spoke of their loss, I re-lived the pain of losing my own - even crying for them, and with them for them to feel comfortable enough to let themselves cry away some of their pain.  

Far different degrees.

Midwives who've never personally delivered,  some social workers, some legal representatives, the list goes on.....unless you've experienced some events you just CANNOT fathom the dire grieving circumstances that some people find themselves.  They are told to "get over it"; "move on".  For some the process of "getting over it" is easier than for others, and it can all depend, too,  on what they have experienced prior to the current situation.

Lady Godiva mentioned rape as an instance where empathy can only be felt by one who has experienced such an act.  BUT, even within the subject of rape, there can be varying degrees of empathy towards a victim by one who has been affected personally.  Simply because there are different sorts of rape - date, with a weapon, gang, etc.

I look forward to Bob's scientific look at the subject.

DEB