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Against empathy : the case for rational compassion / Paul Bloom

By: Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Publisher: New York, NY : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2018Copyright date: ©2016Edition: First Ecco paperback editionDescription: 285 pages ; 21 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780062339348
  • 0062339346
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • BJ1475 .B566 2018
Contents:
Prologue -- Other people's shoes -- The anatomy of empathy -- Doing good -- The politics of empathy -- Intimacy -- Empathy as the foundation of morality -- Violence and cruelty -- Age of reason
Summary: "We often think of our capacity to experience the suffering of others as the ultimate source of goodness. Many of our wisest policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers agree that the only problem with empathy is that we don't have enough of it. Nothing could be farther from the truth, argues Yale researcher Paul Bloom. In [this book], Bloom reveals empathy to be one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. Far from helping 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, ironically, often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it, but to draw instead upon a more distanced compassion. Basing his argument on groundbreaking scientific findings, Bloom makes the case that some of the worst decisions made by individuals and nations-- whom to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and whom to imprison-- are too often motivated by honest, yet misplaced, emotions. With precision and wit, he demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system and from medical care and education to parenting and marriage. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and-- yes-- ultimately more moral."--Jacket
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Book Book UAE Federation Library | مكتبة اتحاد الإمارات General Collection | المجموعات العامة BJ1475 .B566 2018 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) C.1 Library Use Only | داخل المكتبة فقط 30020000208724
Book Book UAE Federation Library | مكتبة اتحاد الإمارات General Collection | المجموعات العامة BJ1475 .B566 2018 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) C.2 Available 30020000208723

"A hardcover edition of this book was published in 2016 by Ecco"--Title page verso

Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-272) and index

Prologue -- Other people's shoes -- The anatomy of empathy -- Doing good -- The politics of empathy -- Intimacy -- Empathy as the foundation of morality -- Violence and cruelty -- Age of reason

"We often think of our capacity to experience the suffering of others as the ultimate source of goodness. Many of our wisest policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers agree that the only problem with empathy is that we don't have enough of it. Nothing could be farther from the truth, argues Yale researcher Paul Bloom. In [this book], Bloom reveals empathy to be one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. Far from helping 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, ironically, often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it, but to draw instead upon a more distanced compassion. Basing his argument on groundbreaking scientific findings, Bloom makes the case that some of the worst decisions made by individuals and nations-- whom to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and whom to imprison-- are too often motivated by honest, yet misplaced, emotions. With precision and wit, he demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system and from medical care and education to parenting and marriage. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and-- yes-- ultimately more moral."--Jacket

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