‘Empathy’ Is a False God

[Syne]

What a sad life you must live, MR, desperate to claim victory...no matter how small or hollow. If it really means THAT much to you, go right ahead and assume victory. Great job little guy. You sure showed me.

[Magical Realist]

What a sad life you must live, MR, desperate to claim victory...no matter how small or hollow. If it really means THAT much to you, go right ahead and assume victory. Great job little guy. You sure showed me.

Where's my prize? More negative reputation points?

[Syne]

A pat on the head will suffice.

[Secular Sanity]

Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion by Paul Bloom

Have you read it?

The term idiot compassion has been around for a while, but this statement from your article is way more provocative.  

"In reality, empathy is actually - projective self-involvement. This is ultimately a form of narcissism that passes as caring."

Damn it!  You know me...my barbs always get me banned, and then I lose access to the search engines.  There was an article that contained a perfect statement in regards to evolution, emotions, and maternal love.  It was more scientific than his "What is Love" article.  It wasn’t Helen Fisher.  It could have been Damasio or Panksepp, but I can’t find it.

Oh, well. 

[Syne]

Looks like an interesting book.

Empathy, with its close ties to other emotions, can often be misled by bias, in-group favoritism, etc., and often goes as unexamined as any other emotion...accepted on intuition alone.

[Secular Sanity]

The physiology of motherhood is the physiology of love.

It was Panksepp.  I knew I had gotten that from somewhere.  I just couldn’t remember where.

It wasn’t an article. It was a TedTalk.