That’s a wonderful idea—researching how to increase empathy. Just as important, though, is how to actually get people to ACT on their caring feelings. I think that there’s a lot of ‘empty empathy’: people feel bad for others yet don’t act on their feelings. I guess this is the field of behavioural economics. It’s importance and EFFICIENCY cannot be underestimated. One behavioural economist suggested that getting people to stop acting against their own self-interest is by far the most cost effective global health care intervention (ie. many parents in India let their children die by refusing to give them oral rehydration salts despite being begged to by health care professionals). But there is also far too little empathy in the world, so that also needs to be developed, certainly. Another point to keep in mind is that no virtue has absolute value, it only has relative value compared to competing values. For instance, it would be hard to donate a lot to a charity no matter how much you care about its cause if you are simultaneously trying very hard to keep up with the Jones.
Great points. :) There was a discussion on Felicifia in 2012 about the value of empathy vs. the value of feeling moral duty: http://felicifia.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=492&start=40#p7120 David Brooks argued that feelings without follow-through aren’t very useful. Likewise, it’s often said that Buddhist monks have immense empathy, but how often do you see them lobbying for more humane policies or something? Probably by “empathy” what Owen had in mind was more substantive empathy, like a culture of feeling and acting on compassion for powerless creatures.
If the Joneses are donating a bunch to charity, then keeping up with them could be great. :) Things like The Giving Pledge seem promising for this reason, because they suggest to billionaires that if you want higher status, you should donate a lot.
I couldn’t agree more. Brian, I am absolutely, 100% positive that the only way to greatly improve society’s behaviour (ie. Being veg, donating more, being more of a good person in general) is by altering society’s reward/punishment structure towards favouring positive actions. The desire for social acceptance and fear of social consequences is the main driver of human behaviour.
Regarding Buddhists and empathy, meditators generally believe that the are helping others just by meditating – bringing God’s light down to earth, yadda, yadda, yadda. For example, Paramahansa Yogananda has said that an adept yogi does more to help the world just by meditating than even the most prolific humanitarian. “Meditation is the highest service” is something I read from some guru, forget who. Also, since spiritual people usually consider spiritual practice the most important thing in the world, even more so than “worldly” problems, they think that by promoting their spiritual path, they’re performing the greatest service a person can do. For example, a Buddhist monk may not give money to the poor, but he may perform duties supporting the ashram and thus feel that he’s helping others with their spiritual lives.
Another reason spiritual people often don’t do activism is because their belief in karma makes them fatalistic as they expect individuals’/the world’s fate to play out as dictated by their pre-life karma and thus feel helpless to do anything about it. Believing in karma can be a tricky trap, no doubt. I get past it by telling myself that my altruistic actions are PART OF and not against others’ karmic destiny!!!! Oh yeah, and many meditators think that their actions will create karma (if not done with the proper mindset) that will force them to reincarnate, even if they are “good” actions, and thus try not to “do” much. That’s why I’m such a lazy bum – just avoiding making karma. No just kidding. :^)
That’s a wonderful idea—researching how to increase empathy. Just as important, though, is how to actually get people to ACT on their caring feelings. I think that there’s a lot of ‘empty empathy’: people feel bad for others yet don’t act on their feelings. I guess this is the field of behavioural economics. It’s importance and EFFICIENCY cannot be underestimated. One behavioural economist suggested that getting people to stop acting against their own self-interest is by far the most cost effective global health care intervention (ie. many parents in India let their children die by refusing to give them oral rehydration salts despite being begged to by health care professionals). But there is also far too little empathy in the world, so that also needs to be developed, certainly. Another point to keep in mind is that no virtue has absolute value, it only has relative value compared to competing values. For instance, it would be hard to donate a lot to a charity no matter how much you care about its cause if you are simultaneously trying very hard to keep up with the Jones.
Great points. :) There was a discussion on Felicifia in 2012 about the value of empathy vs. the value of feeling moral duty: http://felicifia.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=492&start=40#p7120 David Brooks argued that feelings without follow-through aren’t very useful. Likewise, it’s often said that Buddhist monks have immense empathy, but how often do you see them lobbying for more humane policies or something? Probably by “empathy” what Owen had in mind was more substantive empathy, like a culture of feeling and acting on compassion for powerless creatures.
If the Joneses are donating a bunch to charity, then keeping up with them could be great. :) Things like The Giving Pledge seem promising for this reason, because they suggest to billionaires that if you want higher status, you should donate a lot.
I couldn’t agree more. Brian, I am absolutely, 100% positive that the only way to greatly improve society’s behaviour (ie. Being veg, donating more, being more of a good person in general) is by altering society’s reward/punishment structure towards favouring positive actions. The desire for social acceptance and fear of social consequences is the main driver of human behaviour.
Regarding Buddhists and empathy, meditators generally believe that the are helping others just by meditating – bringing God’s light down to earth, yadda, yadda, yadda. For example, Paramahansa Yogananda has said that an adept yogi does more to help the world just by meditating than even the most prolific humanitarian. “Meditation is the highest service” is something I read from some guru, forget who. Also, since spiritual people usually consider spiritual practice the most important thing in the world, even more so than “worldly” problems, they think that by promoting their spiritual path, they’re performing the greatest service a person can do. For example, a Buddhist monk may not give money to the poor, but he may perform duties supporting the ashram and thus feel that he’s helping others with their spiritual lives.
Another reason spiritual people often don’t do activism is because their belief in karma makes them fatalistic as they expect individuals’/the world’s fate to play out as dictated by their pre-life karma and thus feel helpless to do anything about it. Believing in karma can be a tricky trap, no doubt. I get past it by telling myself that my altruistic actions are PART OF and not against others’ karmic destiny!!!! Oh yeah, and many meditators think that their actions will create karma (if not done with the proper mindset) that will force them to reincarnate, even if they are “good” actions, and thus try not to “do” much. That’s why I’m such a lazy bum – just avoiding making karma. No just kidding. :^)