I am never going to write about dogs again. You can write about Islam, you can write about sexuality, but no, not dogs.
Paul BloomMy book is going to be called Against Empathy, which may give you a feeling for where my argument is going to go. Whenever I talk about this, I have to begin in the most boring of all possible ways: by defining my terms. By "empathy," some people mean everything that is good - compassion, kindness, warmth, love, being a mensch, changing the world - and I'm for all of those things. I'm not a monster.
Paul BloomI argue that we should be kind, we should be compassionate, and we should definitely be reasonable and rational, but that empathy leads us astray.
Paul BloomBecause of empathy, we care more for, and devote far more resources to, someone who is familiar, from our country or our group, than a stranger.
Paul Bloom