IMPORTANT
UMBC Social Sciences Forum
2018 Distinguished Lecture in Psychology by Dr. Paul Bloom
Thursday, April 12, 2018 · 4 - 5 PM
Against Empathy
Most people think the only problem with empathy is that we don’t have enough of
it. Drawing on research in areas such as psychopathy, criminal behavior,
charitable giving, cognitive neuroscience, dehumanization, and Buddhist meditation practices, Bloom argues that this is mistaken. Empathy makes us worse. We are better off, in both public policy and intimate relationships, drawing upon a combination of reason and distanced compassion.
