Are we being manipulated into caring less about each other? While there is some merit in the notion that caring can be difficult, the repeated attacks on empathy are both ignorant and harmful - to us as individuals and society as a whole.

This episode cuts through the pseudoscience and half-baked notions, including the made-up term “suicidal empathy,” to reveal what this rhetoric truly aims to achieve.

We dive deep into the real science of empathy. As a crucial neurological function essential for human cooperation and survival, to diminish it is to diminish our ability to relate to each other.

Lastly, we discuss the conditions when compassion can lead to burnout and ‘compassion fatigue’, and discuss ways to prevent this.

This is a useful listen for anyone invested in ethics, humanity, and the future of cooperation in society.

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The podcast expands on the ideas raised in these two articles:

Empathy, War on Empathy, Elon Musk, Suicidal Empathy, Morality, Ethics, Civilization, Cooperation, Neurological Function, Psychopathy, Social Commentary, Intellectual Debate.

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