The essay by Paul Bloom, “Against Empathy” is sort of a summary of his book by the same name. In it he argues that despite society’s stress on the importance of empathy in our ability to make the right moral decisions, and to treat others in the right ways, empathy is, in fact, often the wrong feeling to have. Bloom argues that empathy can actually distort our moral attitudes, encouraging us to do the wrong things, or fail to recognize what is right.
In an essay of approximately 300 words, describe and explain why, intuitively, people think empathy is so important to acting morally. Then describe and explain at least two of Bloom’s substantial arguments against empathy. Finally, if you are able to, offer a defense of the value of empathy against those criticisms.
