I think Americans are always going to care more about Americans than about Mexicans.

Stories turn anonymous strangers into people who matter.

I'm very interested in why we do good things, or bad things, and where moral judgments come from.

I think there's some evidence that when it comes to being a doctor or nurse, a police officer or therapist, that empathetic engagement leads to burn-out. Imagine if you're dealing with severely ill children, and you felt their pain all the time, and the pain of their parents - you wouldn't be able to do that job for very long. It would kill you.

In my own life, I do not live like an effective altruist. An effective altruist would really disapprove of my life. I don't give enough to charity and I still have both my kidneys.

Some people think that without that spark of empathy we would do nothing, but that's just flat-out wrong. You could feel compassion for somebody without the spark of empathy.

I think empathy can serve as a moral spark, motivating us to do good things. But anything can be a moral spark.