J. D. Trout is professor of philosophy and psychology at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. He has written several books including Measuring the Intentional World. Using the intellectual resources of science and philosophy, Trout points out that decision-making at the highest levels of American society puts cognitive biases ahead of empathy. The result "is accursed combination that makes us poor pursuers of our own happiness and even poorer custodians of the happiness of others."
Empathy, according to the author, is the capacity to accurately understand the position of others — to feel "this could happen to me." This incredible human capacity breaks down barriers between people and always holds forth the possibility of genuine togetherness within the human family. Feelings of compassionate understanding are harder to sustain when trying to tackle the large number of hungry people in America, but it can be done and cultivated. Still, feeling another's suffering is one thing and relieving it quite another. We need a more humane government to help those who are now in desperate straits.
Meanwhile, we can as citizens nurture empathy in our hearts and minds:
"Empathy serves its purpose when we allow our tendencies toward fellow feeling to move smoothly, automatically, and habitually. This sure hand of habit, initially moved by empathy, will guide us to our best choices."
