Nothing says Christmas is coming like a conversation about dehumanization, moral fuzziness, and the evils of empathy! Moral psychologist Paul Bloom joins us for a fascinating conversation on the above — and even gives us a sneak peek of his new book (coming out next year). And, because this is Uncertain Things after all, there are some fun tangents on Trump, Hitler, and atheism, too.
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On the agenda:
Suffering — and why we like it [6:12]
On morals, atheists, and envy [19:48]
Cognitive empathy and the future schools of Trump studies [30:51]
The perils of emotional empathy [35:37]
Journalism: a fundamentally immoral pursuit? [44:01]
Stigma wanted [52:53]
The Empathy defense [59:00]
Inside the dehumanizer's mind [1:06:25]
The objective objection [1:18:15]
Moral fuzziness, clear polarization [1:28:58]
Adam Smith, wise virgin [1:34:09]
Paul Bloom’s books Against Empathy and Just Babies are widely available and highly recommended. You can also follow him on Twitter: @PaulBloomAtYal.
Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com
Why Empathy's Bad — And Suffering Hurts So Good (w/ Paul Bloom)