It was Bloom who first raised the issue in 2016 by publishing Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion and had the courage to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy. Empathy and political persuasion One of the most valuable contributions of Bloom’s Against Empathy was that it challenged our preconceptions of the association between empathy and politics. The flip-side of empathy The CBC Ideas series, at its best, stimulates open dialogue and deeper discussion, fostering freedom of expression. Both conservative-minded and liberal-minded people can be susceptible to the emotional impulse triggered by what might be termed “maximum empathy.” A better moral guide: rational compassion The CBC episode conveys a few unintended lessons. The new breed of empathy skeptics, spearheaded by Saad, is providing a much-needed wake-up call about what can happen when empathy goes too far.

Source: CBC News March 21, 2026 14:02 UTC