Empathy
Empathy means simply: being able to feel one’s way into others – to sense how someone across from us is doing, and to comprehend their situation. At the Kyborg Institute we understand empathy as one of the most important drives for helpful action.
What is empathy?
Empathy is more than knowledge about others – it is a feeling-with. In the specialist book on loving-kindness and altruism, Tobias Alke places empathy and emotions as central quantities: even thinkers of the Enlightenment saw in empathy and sympathy a foundation for being able to evaluate actions meaningfully at all.
Feeling-with, not pity
Empathy is not the same as pity. Pity easily looks down from above; empathy meets the other on an equal footing – it understands what they experience, without pitying them or belittling them. It is precisely this that makes it a connecting, strengthening force.
Empathy as a compass
Much speaks for the fact that feelings are a compass for us for the sense of community: whoever feels-with acts more readily in a helpful way – often quickly and without long weighing. Thus empathy is an important bridge from the inner stirring to actual loving-kindness and to a carrying community.
What does that mean in practice?
- Listen and really comprehend how the other is doing.
- Meet on an equal footing – feel-with instead of pitying.
- Also follow the feeling: empathy first becomes effective in action.
Frequently asked questions
What is empathy – simply explained?
Empathy is the capacity to feel one's way in: the ability to sense how another is doing, and to comprehend their situation. It is an important drive for helping others.
Is empathy the same as pity?
Not quite. Pity tends to look down from above. Empathy means feeling-with on an equal footing – understanding what the other experiences, without belittling them.
What role does empathy play for helpfulness?
A great one. Research suggests that feelings such as empathy serve us as a 'compass' for the sense of community. Whoever feels-with acts more readily in a helpful way – often quickly and without long reflection.
Change history · last updated on
- — First English version.
Sources
- Tobias O. R. Alke: Ausgewählte Perspektiven des Altruismus. Eine interdisziplinäre Anregung der Soziologie und ihr Gewicht im Altruismusdiskurs von 1990 bis 2013 im Überblick. Kyborg Institut & Verlag, 2017. ISBN 978-3-96104-027-8.
Autor: Tobias O. R. Alke