Why this book?
- The book critiques empathy as a weak moral guide and demonstrates its limitations with psychological evidence.
- It introduces the concept of “empathic bias,” which can result in prejudice and unfair preferences.
- It offers an alternative called rational compassion, combining kindness with reason.
- It is a clear and thought-provoking resource for understanding human relations, ethics, and public decision-making.
- Mehdi Malek-Mohammad’s translation, with its fluent language and additions such as an interview with the author, makes the work accessible to Persian readers.
About the book
Against Empathy by Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at Yale University, is one of the most controversial works of recent years in the field of moral psychology. Bloom argues that empathy, contrary to common belief, is not essential for moral behavior and that the tendency toward empathic feelings should be limited. He introduces the concept of “empathic bias”: the human tendency to identify more easily with those who resemble ourselves, which can lead to prejudice and racism.
Bloom shows that empathy often leads us to focus on a single individual while ignoring larger statistics and realities, and that it can even ignite violence. His solution is an ethics based on self-control, intelligence, and generalized benevolence—an inner kindness that operates independently of empathy, which he calls rational compassion.
The book is a valuable resource for students of psychology, social sciences, and philosophy, as well as for psychologists and those interested in applied ethics. Mehdi Malek-Mohammad’s translation (Roshd Publishing, 1402) includes a clear introduction, an interview with the author, and an index, making it more accessible to Persian readers.