this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2023
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No amount of logic and reasoning can convince someone to develop a sense of empathy.
I'm assuming you mean that thing where people can imagine what another person feels?
I have a hypothesis: they do imagine what others feel, but they imagine it wrong. For instance, a transphobe might try to imagine what it's like to be trans, but the closest to that they can get is doing it for shits and giggles or for perverted reasons, so that's what they think it must be like.
Of course, most logical evidence would disprove that, but empathy (feelings) trump facts to some people.
That's them imagining it how THEY'D feel if they 'chose' to become trans, ie projection. I think empathy has to have the correct feelings.
I can definitely see some transphobes thinking that, like some I talked to unironically think all lgbtq people are pedophiles, and wouldn't give me an explanation other than "they just are"
You'd think something so deeply ingrained in human nature like empathy would have a stronger effect on people's beliefs. And yet, even though empathy is logical, as a rising tide lifts all boats, there are those who still choose hate.
They do have empathy, for their in group.
Those in the out group don't deserve empathy in their opinion.
It's a really fucked way of looking at the world.
Edit: Of course how they define their in group is heavily conditional and likely to change on a whim at their earliest convenience.
Similarly, people who are principally empathetic and emotional first (not all are) really struggle with reason and logic when it comes to establishing boundaries. They are pathologically afraid of causing offence.
And they'll never develop a sense of empathy in an environment that emphasizes r--- and domination.