themtj's review
3.0
I really liked how this book started. It begins with a simple point: empathy is greatly exaggerated in our culture and it is highly valued, while not necessarily being a moral position, it has limits, and can't be taught to the exclusion of other factors. He demonstrates all of this persuasively for the first 1/3rd - 1/2 of the book.
Tragically, like many books in this genre, he extrapolates too far and starts getting into way too many issues. The penultimate chapter seems so unrelated to the premise that I wonder how any editor let it stay in.
Tragically, like many books in this genre, he extrapolates too far and starts getting into way too many issues. The penultimate chapter seems so unrelated to the premise that I wonder how any editor let it stay in.
dkrane's review
2.0
tl;dr empathy—the act of feeling what another person is feeling—has distorting influences and is an unwieldy spotlight that doesn't work as well for issues of morality as rational compassion.
Can't say I disagree there—I've been sold on a decent amount of the import of effective altruism/consequentialist thought from books like Larissa MacFarquar's brilliant "Strangers Drowning". But Bloom is a tad too discursive, with logical loops that left me lost at times, particularly in thinking through the importance of empathy in intimate relationships (and the relationship to cognitive empathy, or the ability to understand what other people are thinking, something he is much less critical of.) Have no idea what he'd think about the ramifications of his work for art.
Broader points about grounding policy in argument and not in stories is worthwhile food for thought.
Can't say I disagree there—I've been sold on a decent amount of the import of effective altruism/consequentialist thought from books like Larissa MacFarquar's brilliant "Strangers Drowning". But Bloom is a tad too discursive, with logical loops that left me lost at times, particularly in thinking through the importance of empathy in intimate relationships (and the relationship to cognitive empathy, or the ability to understand what other people are thinking, something he is much less critical of.) Have no idea what he'd think about the ramifications of his work for art.
Broader points about grounding policy in argument and not in stories is worthwhile food for thought.
raincorbyn's review
3.0
“Empathy or lack of empathy are morally neutral but making policy or ethical decisions based solely on empathy can lead to tribalism, injustice, and irrationality.” There ya go.
alsoapples's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Transphobia, Genocide, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Drug use, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pedophilia, Slavery, and Torture
miguelf's review against another edition
2.0
Imagine this: you are brought into an emergency room dying of a gunshot wound. Your surgeon looks at you and is reminded of her son who died of a gunshot wound as well – according to the anecdote in this book she will be too empathetic and will hence botch the surgery – you’re dead! This is one of the many inane examples given in this book as the author splits hairs and hashes semantics and gives a wide range of examples in the history of psychology to try to make the point that we should rely less on gut feelings. Empathy “distorts our moral impulses”, or so the author contends. Eye rolling will ensue with the reading of this one.