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Dec 14, 2015
"When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you." --Susan Sarandon
Welcome to the Empathy Wars
Critics of empathy call it biased, saying we should unemotionally help the greatest number. But Roman Krznaric suggests two kinds of empathy: 'affective' -- feeling or mirroring others' emotions, and 'perspective-taking' empathy -- imagining oneself in someone else's shoes. He gives examples of how they can work together, from sympathetic focus on a child caught in a mineshaft (affective) to the abolition of slavery (putting oneself in someone else's place).
BE THE CHANGE
When you hear of someone in trouble this week, practice both kinds of empathy: sympathize, then see how you can help in a practical way.
