What, then, is the relationship between empathy and morality? Traditionally, empathy has been seen as a force for moral good, motivating virtuous deeds. Yet a growing chorus of critics, inspired by findings like those above, depict empathy as a source of moral failure. In the words of the psychologist Paul Bloom, empathy is a \u201cparochial, narrow-minded\u201d\u009d emotion \u201d\u201d one that \u201cwill have to yield to reason if humanity is to survive.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
We disagree.<\/p>\n
While we concede that the exercise of empathy is, in practice, often far too limited in scope, we dispute the idea that this shortcoming is inherent, a permanent flaw in the emotion itself. Inspired by a competing body of recent research, we believe that empathy is a choice that we make whether to extend ourselves to others. The \u201climits\u201d\u009d to our empathy are merely apparent, and can change, sometimes drastically, depending on what we want to feel.<\/p>\n