Ask Lemmy

I think I'll stay where I am.

Personally, I feel like low empathy is a sign of low intelligence ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ Emotions control so much of human behaviour so if you can't understand yours or others you won't be able to solve any problems with a human element.

I would sacrifice both for more strength and charisma, letting me qualify for a paladin multiclass

Reduce my empathy for extra intelligence. Kill two birds with one stone.

May I have some happiness instead?

Less empathy, more happy, easy choice.

Neither, since I don't deal with vague quantities of what influences my ability to making choices.

I understand the assignment, but I'd rather see it expressed in more precise way like "would you rather give up the ability to measure distances for the ability to tell precisely the state of mind of your discussant, OR..."

Taravangian?

I mean, my empathy causes me a lot of stress. I'll take the intelligence.

How much of each are we talking?

I don't feel like I'm lacking either all that much. If anything, having too much is an impediment in life. Less intelligent people don't need to worry so much, and sociopaths don't have a care in the world.

As someone pretty high in both, I’d lose some empathy. Gets me me in trouble sometimes

I've said for years that I think one of the biggest problems in this world and in the USA specifically (because I live here) is lack of empathy. People just don't care about anyone's problems until they face the same. Especially in America. Our society is built around the "do it yourself, overcome all odds" mentality. I feel like the world would be a much better place if everyone were more empathetic. That being said, I think I would reduce intelligence and gain more empathy. I tend to shoot myself in the foot with correcting people and wanting to "teach" a lot. That plus my extreme social anxiety makes it hard to get along with people.

I would reduce my empathy because I have way to much of it 🤣

I'd vote to increase my intelligence, but I don't have empathy to reduce.

Let me put it like this: the world could do with more empathy.

Empathy is not the same as morality. You can be intelligent and still be moral.

I'd give up natural empathy to gain extra natural intelligence. Of course I assume with the intelligence I could be empathetic at will. And I could turn off empathy when it was inconvenient.

For autistic people this really isn't much of a paradox, I've had to learn empathetic skills as an adult because they don't come naturally anyway. So give me more intelligence all of it!

I’m fairly positive that my drug use in early adulthood damaged my intelligence somewhat. I am also certain that it broadened my perspective and improved my ability to understand others. Good trade imo.

Yes.