According to some surveys, most viewers would involuntarily grimace as if the hammer falls on their own thumbs, even without feeling the pain. (Also crying aloud in sync with the actor on the screen is deemed as an overreaction or a conscious attempt at spoofing. lol) Are you among the ”most viewers”? If yes, congratulations, you are offically a guy with empathy.
As the example indicates, empathy may inherently be in our genes, and it constantly manifests itself in our interactions with others, be it our visceral reaction to other people’s sufferings, or our instinctive exertion to interpret other people’s emotions. So why make such a fuss about empathy, which is claimed to be deeply set in our psyche?
Empathy is defined on Wikipedia as the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within the other being's frame of reference, i.e., the capacity to place oneself in another's position. And while empathy appears to be a gift we were endowed with the moment we were born, it is cultivated in different ways throughout our life time.
Have you ever been in an awkward situation when you appeared over-joyous in front of an aggrieved co-worker, who might start to bear grudge against you as a result of your callousness to his or her grievance? And have you ever been given a resentful look when you remained deadpan while one of your friends was over the moon over an extraordinary achievement he or she made? You may argue that you behaved that way for rightful personal reasons, but being aware of the social settings, and conducting yourself with othe people in mind would help you cut a positive image, and maintain a cordial social environment that would ensure you have more access to resources, and less contrived obstacles to your own development.
Last but not least, there is the morality issue that also has a lot to do with empathy. To illustrate this point, I would like to share an example again, which actually is a zoological experiment.
Two chimpanzees were locked up in 2 adjacent rooms which were separated by a glass wall, so the chimps could see each other. In one room, there was a lever mounted on a wall, and whenever the chimp pulled it, a banana would fall from a hole in the ceiling, meanwhile sending an electric shock through a wire that ran through the glass wall, and was attached to the other chimp. So this hapless chimp would be sent shrieking and jumping in agony by the non-fatal electrocution. Initially the chimp in the room with the lever was happy to see the bananas keep coming down as he repeatedly pulled the lever, however, when he came to realize that his delicacy actually came at his peer’s expense, he immediately stopped, and appeared bewildered. The dilemma the chimp found himself in cogently demonstrates that even among primates, empathy plays a role in determining their behaviors, even when personal gains and substantial benefits are involved.
I have no idea how this experiment ended, but I wish if I was the lever-pulling chimpanzee, I could figure out the way out, with my intelligence and empathy.
You closed with "I have no idea how this experiment ended, but I wish if I was the lever-pulling chimpanzee, I could figure out the way out, with my intelligence and empathy," and I was left thinking about the many conversations I've had with students asking why scientists make cruel experiments. We develop our conversations noting we can make positive hypothesis experiments such as, reward the other chimp too but not with food + feed him unattached to the experiment, then would the wire-pulling chimp pull it all the time? Probably not, because unearned rewards become boring. Instead of torturing animals to ask which of two evils they prefer, why not ask them which of two goods they prefer, all in the name of science? Why threaten mice's lives with drowning to see if panic induces them to read symbols indicating survival when the whole charade can be done equally well with an amusing maze and some food? Many people have found positive hypotheses work better than torture, often producing alarming surprises that torture-committed scientists view with skepticism, saying there must have been hidden factors in the experiment. So I think cultures that emphasize emotional awareness, communication without language and empathy, altogether having an increasing influence in science and scientific experiment designs, is very important for the world.
Personal policy on comments on my blogs
As a newcomer to this blogging community, I really enjoy making friends by engaging in activities on this public forum, and I have come across many brilliant minds across this platform. As diverse as this community is, I have found that many ideas and opinions from people from various backgrounds are incredibly inspiring, and I will always be striving to be accommodating and open-minded to any advice and suggestions, as long as they are expressed in an unbiased, objective way. Fact-based and intellectual debates are also welcome. However, any attempt at targeting and attacking any specific group of people and person will not be allowed, and any act of venting negative personal sentiments through blog comments will be deemed as unacceptable and immediately stopped. Comments and messages with vulgar languages and deemed as paranoid would also be promptly deleted or overwritten with this message.
The forum is a fun place, and let’s have fun together.
Personal policy on comments on my blogs
As a newcomer to this blogging community, I really enjoy making friends by engaging in activities on this public forum, and I have come across many brilliant minds across this platform. As diverse as this community is, I have found that many ideas and opinions from people from various backgrounds are incredibly inspiring, and I will always be striving to be accommodating and open-minded to any advice and suggestions, as long as they are expressed in an unbiased, objective way. Fact-based and intellectual debates are also welcome. However, any attempt at targeting and attacking any specific group of people and person will not be allowed, and any act of venting negative personal sentiments through blog comments will be deemed as unacceptable and immediately stopped. Comments and messages with vulgar languages and deemed as paranoid would also be promptly deleted or overwritten with this message.
The forum is a fun place, and let’s have fun together.
Well if they can read they will not find a person insult from me directed at you until you insult me.
Where is that picture of your wife anyway? I am interested. Just how hot is she anyway? And you went through a hell of a lot of hot chicks before her obviously for you to be such a hot chick expert right? I am so jealous. Pointy looking middle aged balding dudes do not often make me feel jealous at all but I am so jealous of you matey.
Can you send me a picture of your wife when you met her and a recent picture of her too. I am so intrigued. Is she middle aged too?
And how old did you say your kids are?
I am so jealous of you matey. Sounds like you are truly living the dream.
Pack it in Pointy.
Like I said in another reply to your comments on my another blog "My Only Red Carpet Experience", I just opt to clam up, and let the readers judge who has been offensive all along.
And I bet that you never insult people to their faces do you buddy. God I hate your kind of pathetic scum.
Hi, buddy, shall we wrap up this debate which I think is going nowhere, as I can clearly see that we often did not even debate about the same thing, as a result of the misunderstandings and misconceptions that have constantly arisen . We certainly are of the same mind on some matters, but also not on the same wavelength on others. Using my empathy, I could also feel your frustration about it. lol. (wish this would not freak you out.), and I feel the debate is increasingly turning sour. So just pack it in.
Anyway, nice talking to you, and wish you a happy Chinese Lunar New Year.
If you have any tips or advice that would help me to better interact with hot chicks I would sure like to hear it. You should write a book probably. For all us losers out here drooling over hot girls. I would buy it for sure.
Anyway, you brought up instinct in a less worthless reply. Instinct makes me think Intelligent Design. Instinct does not make any sense.
I saw some doco on National Geographic about some wasp or hornet or something that lays its eggs inside the living body is a scorpion or maybe it was a spider. It was in some desert. So the wasp lays the eggs inside the spiders body and they hatch or whatever and then they east the insides of the spider but somehow they know not to eat the vital organs. Come on. How do they know this? How did this start? What? It doesn't make any sense. That is just one example.
Maybe most humans were designed to have empathy.
See you can't have empathy for everyone because at some point there is a conflict. You have empathy for self, family, community, class, countrymen etc. At some point you can't have empathy for all unless it is just a thought that you ignore in favour of being loyal to your own interests. If 'elites' spent time worrying about the troubles of the masses and genuinely trying to fix them then the 'elites' would at some point cease to be 'elites'. Is this really so difficult for you to comprehend? Or are you some kind of outer party guy that likes to kid themselves for your own conscience or something? A lot of that does go on you know. Is that what is going on here? Or are are you $%$%ing with me? If I had to guess I would say you are $%$%ing with me.
Edit - If 'elites' had true genuine empathy for the disadvantaged then they would fix it by giving away more and more of their advantage wouldn't they? And before long the 'elite' would have no advantage. Funnily enough global elites do the exact opposite of reducing disparity and disadvantage don't they? I wonder why..
'Elites' see the masses the same way that the Iron Heel sees the masses in Jack London's book. They are at war with the masses. They hate the masses and they really do not even hide this fact. And 'elites' have empathy? HA! What a joke. Look at the world. They may have class empathy, but none for the masses.
What do you do anyway? Doctor, lawyer, psychologist or equivalent? I am guessing not a rocket scientist right? What do you think about the disparity between 'professionals' and middle-low income workers? Do you really believe the pay scale of these 'professionals' is justified? Seems most of them believe they are worth all that much more than their fellow workers that do lesser jobs. What do you think? These people are earning 200-300k a year right? While seven out of ten Americans can't scape $1000 together in the event of an emergency. It costs at least $80,000 a year to be happy and not struggling in US society right? Most are so cranky about it too. Things are great for university educated 'professionals' though aren't they? Never been better for then. And they fully agree that they are worth all that much more than the majority that struggle. How much empathy do you think that scum truly have matey? I would say $%$% all. They are out for all they can get and they don't give a $%$% about the peasants. There is no way that actual 'elites' do. Elites will care when pitchforks come out. Pretend to anyway. You think 'elites' have empathy. If you really are kidding yourself for your own peace of mind then it really isn't good enough and you must know it. You really should stop being so ludicrous.
Do you reckon 'elites' have a conscience? I sure hope not. They would be in constant hell if they did.
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