Book SummaryAgainst Empathy, by Paul Bloom

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Against Empathy

It’s conventional wisdom that when we neglect to treat another person with kindness or fail to understand one another, a lack of empathy is to blame—and that we could fix the problem by trying more intentionally to experience the world as other people do. But what if it’s not a shortfall of empathy, but an excess of it, that causes us to treat each other badly?

In Against Empathy (2016), psychologist Paul Bloom argues that we rely too heavily on our emotions—especially empathy—to guide our judgments, decisions, and behavior. He suggests that our empathic responses to other people can lead us away from the morally good and right course of action. If we want to make the world a better place, we may need to change our relationship with empathy, putting this...

Against Empathy Summary What Is the Case Against Empathy?

Bloom argues that empathy is inadequate to the task of guiding decisions that have moral consequences. He writes that when we allow empathy to direct our decisions, we often fail to make the world a better place. So he proposes that instead of letting empathy determine our actions, we should make decisions rationally instead.

(Shortform note: Some psychologists disagree with Bloom’s idea that empathy doesn’t make us more moral or good. In Focus, psychologist Daniel Goleman defines empathy as tuning in to others and feeling what they feel, and in Emotional Intelligence, he writes that the ability to understand other people’s emotions makes you a better person. That’s because when you understand someone else’s suffering, you recognize their situation as one with moral weight—and feel a moral imperative to alleviate the other person’s suffering and avoid causing them pain.)

In this section of the guide, we’ll explore what...

Against Empathy Summary Why Isn’t Empathy Necessary?

We often rely on empathy when we make decisions that affect other people. Even though Bloom argues against relying on empathy, he doesn’t advocate for behaving selfishly or failing to consider the needs of others. Instead, he asserts that we can be kind and compassionate people without making empathy a part of our decision-making process.

In this section of the guide, we’ll explore Bloom’s explanation of how we don’t have to empathize with someone to treat them kindly or to act morally. We’ll also examine his argument that violence and cruelty don’t result from a lack of empathy and set out his argument that it isn’t empathy that makes us behave in ways that are morally right.

We Don’t Need Empathy to Act With Kindness

One reason that Bloom suggests that empathy is unnecessary is that we don’t have to feel empathy for someone to treat them kindly. This idea breaks down into three insights: that there are multiple emotions that enable kind behavior, that care is better than empathy at motivating kindness, and that concern motivates care. We’ll take a closer look at each of these next.

Self-Control, Intelligence, and Compassion Enable Kindness

Bloom writes...

Against Empathy Summary How Can We Make Better Decisions, With or Without Empathy?

In deconstructing how empathy affects our decisions and leads to less-than-ideal outcomes, Bloom proposes an alternative to empathy: reasoned compassion. In this section of the guide, we’ll explore how Bloom describes reasoned compassion and argues that it gives us the capacity to behave more rationally than we do when guided by empathy. We’ll also examine Bloom’s recommendations for strategies you can use to make more moral decisions when your actions affect other people.

(Shortform note: In his review of Against Empathy, psychologist Kenneth Barish offers an alternative interpretation of the research that Bloom cites when he draws a distinction between empathy and compassion. According to Barish, that research doesn’t support the idea that compassion and empathy are two separate psychological processes; instead, the research suggests that feeling empathic distress or feeling compassion are two different courses that we might take after we initially feel empathy for a person.)

What Is Reasoned Compassion?

In arguing against making decisions using empathy, **Bloom asserts that we should use a conscious, deliberate,...

Shortform Exercise: Are You For or Against Empathy?

Bloom argues against empathy as a guiding principle for moral decisions. But he acknowledges that his perspective is unusual, and other thinkers have different views of empathy.

Do you agree or disagree with Bloom’s idea that empathy does more harm than good in our relationships with other people? Why or why not?