Politics of Empathy: Ethics, Solidarity, Recognition PDF
Preview Politics of Empathy: Ethics, Solidarity, Recognition
Politics of Empathy The Politics of Empathy argues that empathy is a necessary condition for ethical subjectivity and the emergence of a more compassionate world. One of the reasons empathy is important is because it gives us a sense of what it is like to be someone else. However, to understand its ethical significance we need to look elsewhere. This book claims that empathy is ethically significant because, uniquely, it allows us to reflect critically on the nature of our own lives and sense of identity. More specifically, it allows us to reflect critically on the contingency, finitude andviolencethatdefineexistence.Itisarguedthat,withoutthiscritical reflection, a more ethical and democratic world cannot come into being. Our challenge today, therefore, is to establish the social and political conditions in which empathy can flourish. This will be a diffi- cult task because powerful political and cultural forces are reinforcing the divisions between us rather than encouraging us to come together in a cosmopolitan community of mutual recognition and solidarity. However, despite these limits, there is hope for a brighter future. This book argues thatthisfuturecan onlycome about if the Left acceptsits responsibility to articulate a new politics of internationalism and establish the foundations of a sustainable ethical community in which strangers will be accepted unconditionally. Thisworkwillbeofinteresttostudentsofpoliticaltheory,philosophy and sociology. Anthony M. Clohesy is a senior lecturer in the International Academy at the University of Essex, UK. This page intentionally left blank Politics of Empathy Ethics, solidarity, recognition Anthony M. Clohesy Firstpublished2013 byRoutledge 2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada byRoutledge 711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninforma business ©2013AnthonyM.Clohesy TherightofAnthonyM.Clohesytobeidentifiedasauthorofthis workhasbeenassertedbyhiminaccordancewiththeCopyright, DesignsandPatentAct1988. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedor reproducedorutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical, orothermeans,nowknownorhereafterinvented,including photocopyingandrecording,orinanyinformationstorageor retrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers. Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarks orregisteredtrademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationand explanationwithoutintenttoinfringe. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritish Library LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Clohesy,AnthonyM. Politicsofempathy:ethics,solidarity,recognition/Anthony MClohesy. pagescm Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. 1.Empathy.2.Compassion.I.Title. BF575.E55C562013 177'.7--dc23 2013006784 ISBN:978-0-415-57009-1(hbk) ISBN:978-0-203-79598-9(ebk) TypesetinTimesNewRoman byTaylor&FrancisBooks For Corinna and Joe This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface viii Acknowledgements ix 1 Introduction 1 2 Empathy 11 3 Ethics 26 4 Culture 42 5 Nature 65 6 Religion 84 7 Politics 102 8 Conclusion 127 Notes 131 Bibliography 138 Index 144 Preface This book is the product of thoughts and ideas that evolved over a long period of time. Its central claim is that empathy is ethically significant because the experience of difference that it makes possible forces us to question the nature of our identities and values. Most people agreethat empathy is important to help us develop better, more compassionate and caring relations with others. However, when con- sidered as something that can change our sense of whowe are, and the duties we owe to others, empathy emerges as something of far greater ethical significance. It was, therefore, around the central theme of the relationship between empathy and ethics that this book was originally conceived. However, the book assumed a different form when I began to consider whether, if empathy is a condition for ethical life, we are condemned to live unethically or, to put it another way, whether it is possible for empathy to do its ethical work in our less than perfect world? Consideration of this question changed the nature of the book, which now became concerned with a range of other issues such as nature, culture, religion, politics, the limits to change and the obstacles thatinhibit theemergence ofa morefair,just and equalworld. Itisfor this reason that it has taken rather longer than planned and I am grateful to the publishers for their patience. I have tried to write the book in a way that is accessible to anyone who is interested in ideas andIapologizeiftheargumentisatanytimeobscuredbyterminology that is not part of our everyday way of relating to each other. No doubt the book will raise more questions than it answers – at least I hope this is the case as it was written in a genuine spirit of enquiry. I also hope that, as a contribution to a number of well established and ongoing debates, it will prompt further contributions and ideas to help us to imagine other ways in which we can flourish as a united human family in a more ethical world. Acknowledgements My special thanksto Sandra Cardewfor her help inthe preparation of this book.
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