I think empathy can serve as a moral spark, motivating us to do good things. But anything can be a moral spark. Paul Bloom More Quotes by Paul Bloom More Quotes From Paul Bloom We don't just respond to things as we see them, or feel them, or hear them. Rather, our response is conditioned on our beliefs, about what they really are, what they came from, what they're made of, what their hidden nature is. Paul Bloom motivationinspirationbelief Families survive the terrible twos because toddlers aren't strong enough to kill with their hands and aren't capable of using lethal weapons. Paul Bloom weaponsstronghands We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on our long-term moods. The key to the happy life, it seems, is the good life: a life with sustained relationships, challenging work, and connections to community. Paul Bloom good-lifegratitudekindness Because of empathy, stories of the suffering of one person could lead us into a war that could kill millions of people. Paul Bloom empathywarpeople Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of humans — language, rationality, culture, and so on. I'd stick with this: Man is the only animal that likes Tabasco sauce. Paul Bloom sticksanimalmen Our best hope for the future [...] lies in an appreciation of the fact that, even if we don’t empathize with distant strangers, their lives have the same value as the lives of those we love. Paul Bloom appreciationlyingfacts A religion such as Judaism or Catholicism might survive even if it comes to reject a literal account of God creating man and animals. But it cannot survive the rejection of an immaterial soul. Paul Bloom godanimalmen I have two teenage sons, and they're both surviving, thriving, and having a great time, and they're always on social media. Paul Bloom teenagemediason Empathy zooms you in on an individual and, as a result, it's narrow, it's innumerate, it's racist, it's very biased. Paul Bloom zoomempathyracist When I write I'll sometimes say things which are somewhat controversial - not because I'm seeking out controversy for its own sake, but if I don't have anything to say which is different, why am I bothering to write stuff down in the first place? Paul Bloom differentstuffwriting This enthusiasm [for empathy] may be misplaced. Empathy has some unfortunate features – it is parochial, narrow-minded and innumerate. We’re often at our best when we’re smart enough not to rely on it. Paul Bloom empathysmartenthusiasm When people want to inspire you to turn against some group of people, they'll often use empathy. Paul Bloom empathyinspirepeople It's hard to pull apart empathy from compassion. What is really clear is that we innately care for other people at least to some extent. Paul Bloom empathycompassionpeople My brother is severely autistic, so when I was a kid I spent a lot of time as a teenager in camps and programs for autistic kids. When I went to McGill as an undergraduate, I figured I'd be a therapist working with these kids. The truth is, and I knew this even back then, I'm just not good at this. I'm too empathic to do this sort of thing. Paul Bloom teenagerbrotherkids The fact that something can be used for good isn't necessarily a knockdown argument for it. Paul Bloom argumentused Because of empathy, we care more for, and devote far more resources to, someone who is familiar, from our country or our group, than a stranger. Paul Bloom empathygroupscountry I argue that we should be kind, we should be compassionate, and we should definitely be reasonable and rational, but that empathy leads us astray. Paul Bloom be-kindempathyarguing Empty heads, cognitive science has taught us, learn nothing. The powerful cultural and personal flexibility of our species is owed at least in part to our starting off so well-informed; we are good learners because we know what to pay attention to and what questions are the right ones to ask. Paul Bloom taught-uspowerfulpay The irrationality of disgust suggests it is unreliable as a source of moral insight. There may be good arguments against gay marriage, partial-birth abortions and human cloning, but the fact that some people find such acts to be disgusting should carry no weight. Paul Bloom abortiongaypeople What I mean by "empathy" is putting yourself in other people's shoes, feeling what they feel. Paul Bloom shoesmeanpeople
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