The Moral Dimensions of Empathy: Limits and Applications in Ethical Theory and Practice

Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 11
Part I Why Empathy?......Page 14
1 The Empathy-Morality Connection......Page 16
1.1 Empathy and ethics......Page 17
1.2 Defining empathy......Page 20
1.3 Moral dimensions of empathy......Page 24
2 What is Empathy?......Page 28
2.1 Empathy as emotional contagion......Page 29
2.2 Empathy as imaginative perspective-taking......Page 31
2.2.2 Self-focused imagination......Page 32
2.2.3 Other-focused imagination......Page 34
2.2.4 Dual-perspective imagination (combination mode)......Page 35
2.3 From imaginative perspective-taking to empathy......Page 36
2.4 A functional account of empathy......Page 41
2.5 Conclusion......Page 45
Part II The Moral Dimensions of Empathy......Page 46
3 The Epistemic Functions of Empathy......Page 48
3.1 Illustration of the epistemic and normative dimensions of empathy......Page 50
3.2 Modes of empathic arousal......Page 51
3.3 Empathy’s epistemic functions......Page 54
3.3.1 First function: Gathering information about the other person......Page 55
3.3.2 Second function: Understanding others......Page 59
3.4 Conditions on empathy’s epistemic function......Page 61
3.5 Normative and epistemic functions limit each other......Page 65
3.6 The personal nature of empathetic knowledge......Page 68
3.7 Conclusion......Page 70
4 Empathy, Altruism and Normative Ethics......Page 72
4.1 Empirical research on the consequences of empathy......Page 73
4.2 Interpretation of the empirical data......Page 76
4.3 Problems with using this research in normative ethics......Page 79
4.4 Empathy and moral obligation......Page 82
4.5 Conclusion......Page 86
Part III Empathy and Ethical Theory......Page 88
5 Empathy and Moral Deliberation......Page 90
5.1 The salience effect, empathetic deliberation, and moral deliberation......Page 91
5.2 Empathetic moral deliberation in contemporary normative ethics......Page 93
5.3 Empathetic moral deliberation in Kant’s impartialist ethics......Page 97
5.4 Empathetic bias and empathetic deliberation......Page 100
5.5 Empathetic deliberation is not just hypothetical deliberation......Page 103
5.6 Conclusion......Page 108
6 Empathy, Contractual Ethics, and Justification......Page 111
6.1 Contract theories and public justification......Page 112
6.2 The elements of social contract theory......Page 114
6.3 The nature of contractual deliberation......Page 118
6.4 Kinds of empathetic deliberation modeled in social contracts......Page 122
6.4.1 Rawls’ theory of justice......Page 123
6.4.2 Gauthier’s contractarian ethics......Page 126
6.4.3 Harsanyi’s equiprobability model......Page 128
6.5 Empathetic deliberation, public justification and interpersonal justification......Page 130
6.6 Empathy and justificatory reasons......Page 135
6.7 Conclusion......Page 139
Part IV Practical Implications......Page 142
7 Empathy and Moral Education......Page 144
7.1.1 Others-focused empathy......Page 145
7.1.2 Self-focused empathy......Page 147
7.1.5 Avoiding passive empathy......Page 149
7.2 How empathy is taught......Page 150
7.2.1 Induction or inductive discipline......Page 151
7.2.2 Rational, straightforward education......Page 152
7.2.3 Modeling empathy......Page 154
7.3.1 Empathy in the context of care and concern......Page 156
7.3.2 Empathy in the context of the compassionate virtues......Page 157
7.3.4 Empathy in the context of socialization and behavior modification......Page 158
7.4 Developing the capacity for empathy......Page 159
7.4.2 Caveats to empathy development......Page 160
7.4.3 Failures of empathy......Page 161
7.5 Conclusion......Page 162
8.1 Significance......Page 164
8.2 Practical implications: Empathy and gender......Page 166
8.3 Empathy and feminist ethics......Page 169
8.4 Empathy and virtue......Page 171
Notes......Page 175
Bibliography......Page 205
Index......Page 215