Re: "The Limits of Empathy"

9/30/11

To the editor:

David Brooks (The Limits of Empathy, 9/30/11) selectively references scientific literature and anecdotes to support his view that empathy is a shortcut that 'has become a way to experience the illusion of moral progress without having to do the nasty work of making moral judgments'.  I disagree.  Of course, the self-satisfaction of feeling another's pain can be used as an excuse to not act to relieve suffering.  However, one cannot act in a moral way towards others without feeling empathy for them. Conversely, those without feeling (like the cold blooded sociopath) will act in unfathomable ways. Codes of moral conduct, rather than overshadowing empathy in importance as Brooks suggests, are based on empathy. It is a necessary, though admittedly insufficient, basis for moral action and is an essential ingredient of the mother infant relationship where the mother's ongoing effort to know the internal experience of her child is the basis for her loving behavior.

Respectfully,

Larry S. Sandberg MD