And empathy is narrow; it connects us to particular individuals, real or imagined, but is insensitive to numerical differences and statistical data.
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 BloomThe fact that something can be used for good isn't necessarily a knockdown argument for it.
Paul BloomBecause of empathy, stories of the suffering of one person could lead us into a war that could kill millions of people.
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 Bloom