When we decide it's not important to empathize with another person, we are basically deciding they are not a person anymore. Wheter it's a slave, or an infidel, or a child murderer, we come up with ways to justify NOT empathizing with the person. It stops mattering to us, then, if they miss their children, love their family, or get raped in prison. We do it all the time. But is it right? Our morality, I think, is based on empathy for others...we care about their feelings because we care about FEELINGS we relate to. Do we lose our morality when we quit caring about the feelings of a killer, or a Jew? Is there any justifiable reason to "yank" our empathy out from under another person, ever?
2007-05-29
04:38:27
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15 answers
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asked by
Anonymous
in
Religion & Spirituality