Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion

How can empathy be bad? Isn't it one of the key human attributes that we should all try to gain more of? Paul Bloom presents the case that at best empathy will cause us to misplace our efforts, while in the worst case it can lead to genocide and mass killings. How can empathy lead to that?

The key problem with empathy is that it leads us to focus on the immediate feelings of an individual. This can end up drowning out needs of others. After a tragic event with significant media coverage, donations tend to poor in. This can even become a burden. (What does a city do with all the Teddy Bears received after a school shooting?) In this case there are a few negative impacts. However, it is mostly just a small misplaced donation. (There were probably other kids that could have really used those Teddy Bears.)

The misplaced attention can get worse as we attempt to set public policy.  We may empathize with the struggles of an individual or small group. This leads us to enact new policy to minimize this suffering - even if it adds to the suffering of others. Different targets of empathy can lead to some of our most controversial situations. (Do you empathize with the child that would not have been born if an abortion were successful or the woman who struggled because she couldn't get an abortion?)

Empathy can also lead to greater group conflicts. We tend to empathize most with people that are the most similar to us. This can lead to favoring our group at the expense of others. Racism and other biases often result from this empathy. At the extreme, revenge killings and genocide can result from empathy. Empathy towards those that have been wronged by another group leads towards seeking the punishment of those associated with the perpetration. 

What should we do instead? The author proposes a rational compassion. Acknowledge that our feelings towards an individual should not trump everything else. Perhaps universal empathy would be another way to look at it. We can remove ourselves from our group and attempt to have the same empathy towards everyone. This will reduce the short term biases - but could lead to extreme cognitive overload. Let us just acknowledge that empathy can be destructive and act appropriately.