Criticisms

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• (2:44) Jordan Peterson - Megyn Kelly

  • • Empathy is used to indoctrinate your children.   The schools today try to exploit young girls and young women's empathy to bend them to their democratic norms. They they try to impose all of their left-wing viewpoints on these young girls uh by tapping into the empathy vein.  You know if you don't support Black Lives Matter you're racist If you don't support trans girls meaning boys playing in girls sports you're a bigot They're bullied Don't be a bully. Be a nice girl That's how we've been raised for time in memoriam to be nice. Megyn Kelly

    • I think this is what's played out in the Genesis story of the consort between Eve and the serpent What seems to me to happen is that Eve clutches the poisonous serpent to her breast And so that's that's an overextension of that empathy that you described which is the core element let's say of the maternal instinct.. Jordan Peterson 

    • Says Empathy is of in the home, but not in business. Empathy Does not scale. Now does that mean they're political enemies because that's certainly one of the things that appears to be happening And then we have the mass migration of women into work forces of a size where empathy cannot be the regulating principle You know I I'll give you one more example and then I I'll turn it over for your comments. If empathy was the appropriate ethos for operation in a corporation let's say of beyond the size of the family then the personality trait agreeableness which is the index of compassion and empathy would positively predict workplace performance. Jordan Peterson 

1. 'Empathy Is Biased

1. 1. 1. In-group favoritism: People tend to empathize more with those who are similar to them (e.g., same race, nationality, beliefs).

      2. Scope insensitivity: Empathy is more easily evoked by individuals than large groups (we care more about one child suffering than statistics of thousands).

      3. Identifiable victim effect: Empathy is more likely to be triggered by specific, named individuals than anonymous ones or statistics.

2. Empathy Can Be Unfair or Unjust

• 1. 1. Moral distortion: Empathy can lead to partial or unjust decisions, such as favoring someone we feel for over someone with a greater need.

     2. Compassion fatigue: Over-empathizing, especially with suffering, can lead to burnout or emotional exhaustion, especially for caregivers.

     3. Weaponization: Empathy can be manipulated to serve harmful agendas (e.g., political or commercial exploitation of emotional stories).

3. Empathy Is Emotionally Costly

1. Emotional drain: Continual empathetic engagement, especially in high-stress or traumatic contexts, can harm one's mental health.

2. Over-identification: Feeling another’s pain too deeply can cloud one’s judgment or create co-dependence.

3. Secondary trauma: Exposure to others’ trauma can lead to PTSD-like symptoms in highly empathetic individuals.
   
   

4. Empathy Can Inhibit Effective Action

1. Paralysis: Strong empathetic reactions can cause emotional overwhelm and prevent decisive action.

2. Ineffective policy: Public policies based on empathy rather than reasoned analysis may be misdirected or unsustainable.

3. Distraction: Empathy can make people focus on individual cases rather than systemic issues.
   
   

5. Empathy Is Not Necessary for Morality

• Alternative foundations: Critics like Paul Bloom argue that compassion, rational concern, or moral principles can guide moral behavior more reliably than empathy.

• Utilitarian critique: Empathy can distort moral calculus, leading to decisions that feel right emotionally but are worse in terms of outcomes.

6. Empathy Can Be Selective and Self-Serving

• Projection: People may project their own emotions or experiences onto others instead of truly understanding them.

• Self-congratulatory: Empathy can sometimes serve to make the empathizer feel good rather than actually help the other person.

• Echo chambers: Excessive empathy for one side can prevent understanding or even demonize others.
  
  

7. Conceptual and Practical Ambiguities

• Definition confusion: "Empathy" is used to mean many things—emotional resonance, perspective-taking, compassion, etc.—which can muddy discussions.

• Measurement difficulties: It's hard to measure empathy reliably, making research and application more complex.
  
  

Notable Critics & Their Arguments

• Paul Bloom ("Against Empathy"): Empathy is a poor guide for moral decision-making; we should rely more on reason and compassion.

• Jesse Prinz: Emotions like empathy are not necessary for moral behavior; culture and learning matter more.

• David Brooks: Empathy alone doesn't produce action—it needs to be paired with moral will and discipline.

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