Citation

Bloom P. Trends Cogn. Sci. 2016; 21(1): 24-31.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address: paul.bloom@yale.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.tics.2016.11.004

PMID

27916513

Abstract

What role does the experience of feeling what you think others are feeling - often known as 'empathy' - have in moral deliberation and moral action? Empathy has many fans and there is abundant evidence that it can motivate prosocial behavior. However, empathy is narrow in its focus, rendering it innumerate and subject to bias. It can motivate cruelty and aggression and lead to burnout and exhaustion. Compassion is distinct from empathy in its neural instantiation and its behavioral consequences and is a better prod to moral action, particularly in the modern world we live in.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en