I've been doing a lot of reading and investigation in preparation for my (fingers crossed) MSc course at UEL starting September - reflecting on a number of topics such as the common good and moral reasoning.
Here's one that bugs me: What is my circle of empathy, and how does this overlap with my circle of responsibility?
As a bloke who aspires to be a mature adult, I take responsibility for myself of course - my actions, my health, the things I say and write etc. I take responsibility for my family, to ensure they are provided for and feel loved and encouraged but not overindulged. I take responsibility for the fact that I'll screw up with the family and sometimes it will because I do the wrong thing even knowing deep down it's wrong (e.g. being sarcastic).
I'm a bit responsible for my street and for the various groups I belong to, and for doing a good job for my clients and for paying my taxes and all that.
And I have empathy - I feel for - all sorts of random people, such as the Nurse Practitioner who watched over me and chatted with me after my day surgery yesterday. The circle of empathy reaches all over the place, and even back in time. It's unpredictable, which I guess is the nature of feelings.
However, when I go beyond people with whom I have some personal contact or mediated contact (e.g. songs, news articles etc.) I don't feel much empathy and very little real sense of responsibility.
In fact I read recently (can't find the reference) that with charities, people tend to donate more if the focus of the request for a donations is on one person rather than on two - that empathy and giving decrease when communication focuses on deserving groups or whole societies.
This maybe throws some light on my feeling of rebellion that I should feel or have any responsibility for every single person born. There are almost seven billion humans and another couple of hundred have been born since I started writing this.
How could I possibly pretend to have any responsibility for, and anything but the vaguest passing empathy, with such huge numbers of people?
Here's one that bugs me: What is my circle of empathy, and how does this overlap with my circle of responsibility?
As a bloke who aspires to be a mature adult, I take responsibility for myself of course - my actions, my health, the things I say and write etc. I take responsibility for my family, to ensure they are provided for and feel loved and encouraged but not overindulged. I take responsibility for the fact that I'll screw up with the family and sometimes it will because I do the wrong thing even knowing deep down it's wrong (e.g. being sarcastic).
I'm a bit responsible for my street and for the various groups I belong to, and for doing a good job for my clients and for paying my taxes and all that.
And I have empathy - I feel for - all sorts of random people, such as the Nurse Practitioner who watched over me and chatted with me after my day surgery yesterday. The circle of empathy reaches all over the place, and even back in time. It's unpredictable, which I guess is the nature of feelings.
However, when I go beyond people with whom I have some personal contact or mediated contact (e.g. songs, news articles etc.) I don't feel much empathy and very little real sense of responsibility.
In fact I read recently (can't find the reference) that with charities, people tend to donate more if the focus of the request for a donations is on one person rather than on two - that empathy and giving decrease when communication focuses on deserving groups or whole societies.
This maybe throws some light on my feeling of rebellion that I should feel or have any responsibility for every single person born. There are almost seven billion humans and another couple of hundred have been born since I started writing this.
How could I possibly pretend to have any responsibility for, and anything but the vaguest passing empathy, with such huge numbers of people?
