Against Empathy
The Case for Rational Compassion
$25.17
- Paperback
304 pages
- Release Date
16 April 2018
Summary
This landmark scientific investigation by one of the world’s leading psychologists reveals empathy to be our most dangerous emotion.
In a divided world, empathy is not the solution, it is the problem.
We think of empathy - the ability to feel the suffering of others for ourselves - as the ultimate source of all good behaviour. But while it inspires care and protection in personal relationships, it has the opposite effect in the wider world. As the latest research in psychology…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780099597827 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0099597829 |
| Author: | Paul Bloom |
| Publisher: | Vintage Publishing |
| Imprint: | Vintage |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 304 |
| Release Date: | 16 April 2018 |
| Weight: | 214g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 129mm x 20mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
Wonderfully humane, lucid and entertaining … a brave and necessary tract for the times
Wonderfully humane, lucid and entertaining … a brave and necessary tract for the times * Telegraph *
A great, provocative book … that will legitimately change how you think about the world and your own sense of morality * The New York Times *
Bloom dismantles the argument that empathy is the basis of all morality … Empathy, it turns out, is sentimental, superficial and racist * New Statesman *
The title may shock, but this is a book of calm reason and expansive compassion. It’s also a pleasure to read: warm, lucid, and thought-provoking – Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
I couldn’t put this brilliantly argued book down. Engaging and witty, learned and stimulating, provocative and packed with cutting-edge findings, Against Empathy is sure to start many important debates * Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother *
Despite a near consensus about the merits of empathy, Paul Bloom shows that it is often just the warm embrace of prejudice – and, like anger, a reliable source of moral confusion. Against Empathy is a thrilling book, and reading it could well make you a better person – Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith
I went in a sceptic and emerged a convert … one of the most thought-provoking, and ultimately convincing, books I’ve read in a long time – Maria Konnikova, author of The Confidence Game
Brilliant, powerful, and provocative, Against Empathy is sure to be one of the most controversial books of our time
Bloom’s point is a good one … In a time of post-truth politics, his book offers a much-needed call for facts * Economist *
A deliberately maverick work – astringent, provocative, often witty and unabashedly against a prevailing culture … I am staunchly with Bloom – Salley Vickers * Guardian *
About The Author
Paul Bloom
Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. His research explores the psychology of morality, identity and pleasure. Bloom is the recipient of multiple awards and honours, including most recently the million-dollar Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. He has written for scientific journals and for the New York Times, New Yorker, Atlantic and Guardian. He is the author or editor of eight books, including Just Babies, How Pleasure Works, Descartes’ Baby and most recently Against Empathy.
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