“Empathy on Trial: Is empathy inherently biased?”

Abstract

Yale psychologist Paul Bloom is making a case against empathy when it comes to ethical deliberation and action. According to Bloom, emotional empathy has a dark side because it causes an in-group bias that leads to parochialism and racism. Our helping behavior is selectively aimed at those like us and, as a result, blinds us to the suffering in distant global settings. In arriving at his position, Bloom provides support from Buddhist philosophy and practice that make his argument even more relevant to multicultural and global dialogue. This paper offers response to Bloom's criticisms by unveiling the limits of cognitive approach that he recommends.