In episode 39 we look at the relationship between philanthropy and empathy. Including:

-What does neuroscience tell us about the link between empathy and altruism?

-The importance of physical proximity

-Does empathy lead us to prioritise giving to those who are sufficiently "like us", at the expense of others?

-How do our unconscious biases affect our empathy? The identifiable victim bias and victim blaming.

-Is empathy in tension with rationality when it comes to philanthropy?

-Historical examples of approaches to philanthropy that lacked empathy: home visitations, voting charities and "telescopic philanthropy"

-Rationality vs empathy throughout history: from the Charity Organization Societies to Effective Altruism?

-What impact will technology have on our ability to be empathetic in future?

-How can Virtual Reality be used to drive empathetic responses from donors and supporters?

-Will tech-enabled 'filter bubbles' negatively affect our ability to empathise?

-Rationality vs Empathy 2.0? Will philanthropy in the future be shaped by VR and experiential technologies, or by AI and data-driven decision making?

Related Content

• Zagefka et al (2010) "Donating to disaster victims: Responses to natural and humanly caused events", European Journal of Social Psychology, Volume41, Issue 3, April 2011, 353-363
• Decety (2015) "The Neural Pathways, Development and Functions of Empathy", Science of Philanthropy Initiative
• Kraus et al (2012) Social Class, Solipsism, and Contextualism: How the Rich Are Different From the Poor, Psychological Review, 119 (3) 546-572.
• Gose & Gipple (2012) "Rich Enclaves Are Not as Generous as the Wealthy Living Elsewhere" Chronicle of Philanthropy
• "Virtual reality can boost empathy", Psychology News, 17th October 2018
• Giving Thought blog (2016) "3 ways augmented and virtual reality could change charity"
• Giving Thought blog (2016) "Is technology making us care less about each other?"
• Giving Thought blog (2017) "Future Imperfect: 10 new problems technology will create for charities"
• Giving Thought blog (2017) "Automatic for the people: What might a philanthropy algorithm look like?"
• Ken Liu, "Byzantine Empathy"- short story reproduced in Breaker Mag