Against Empathy
A controversial call to arms, Against Empathy argues that the natural impulse to share the feelings of others can lead to immoral choices in both public policy and in our intimate relationships with friends and family.
Most people, including many policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers, have encouraged us to be more empathetic—to feel the pain and pleasure of oth...
A controversial call to arms, Against Empathy argues that the natural impulse to share the feelings of others can lead to immoral choices in both public policy and in our intimate relationships with friends and family.
Most people, including many policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers, have encouraged us to be more empathetic—to feel the pain and pleasure of others. Yale researcher and author Paul Bloom argues that this is a mistake. Far from leading us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it, and draw upon a more distanced compassion.
Based on groundbreaking scientific findings, Against Empathy makes the case that some of the worst decisions that individuals and nations make—from who to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and who to put in prison—are too often motivated by honest, yet misplaced emotions. With clear and witty prose, Bloom demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system; from culture and education to foreign policy and war. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and ultimately more moral.
Bound to be controversial, Against Empathy shows us that, when it comes to major policy decisions and the choices we make in our everyday lives, limiting our empathetic emotions is often the most compassionate choice we can make.
[加]保罗·布卢姆（Paul Bloom）
● 知名认知心理学家和发展心理学家、耶鲁大学公开课zui受欢迎教授、TED演讲人。
● 布卢姆是耶鲁大学zui受欢迎、zui风趣的心理学教授之一。他的心理学导论课是耶鲁大学zui受欢迎的公开课之一，全球有上千万人观看、学习这一公开课的视频。
● 布卢姆是《科学》杂志评出的Twitter上zui有影响力的50位明星科学家之一，美国哲学与心理学协会前任主席，《行为与脑科学》杂志联合主编。
● 布卢姆因出色的研究和教学工作而获奖无数。他的文章屡见于《纽约时报杂志》《自然》《纽约客》《科学》等刊物。著有畅销书《善恶之源》《快感：为什么它让我们欲罢不能》。