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.

What I mean by "empathy" is putting yourself in other people's shoes, feeling what they feel.

I kind of like social media, and I like hearing from people. I don't like the ugly stuff, but there are some people - smart people - who have a very different perspective, and I'll get a backlash from them. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

For the most part, people use "empathy" to mean everything good. For instance, many medical schools have courses in empathy. But if you look at what they mean, they just want medical students to be nicer to their patients, to listen to them, to respect them, to understand them. What's not to like? If they were really teaching empathy, then I'd say there is a world of problems there.

I have two teenage sons, and they're both surviving, thriving, and having a great time, and they're always on social media.

I am never going to write about dogs again. You can write about Islam, you can write about sexuality, but no, not dogs.

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