Abstract
AbstractThis chapter addresses the issue of whether empathy is a necessary feature for the development of morality. Scholars who deny this role usually tend to stress the importance of imitation and role models to the detriment of empathy. However, in this chapter, it is shown not only that imitation without empathy cannot suffice for the development of a healthy, reflected, and adult morality, but also that the psychological mechanism of imitation based on role models depends on empathy as well to work correctly. In particular, empathy seems fundamental to learn moral rules.
Publisher
Springer Nature Switzerland
Reference12 articles.
1. Baron-Cohen, S. (2011). Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty. Allen Lane Publishing.
2. Blackburn, S. (2001). Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
3. Blair, R. J. R., Mitchell, D., & Blair, K. S. (2005). The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain. Blackwell.
4. Fowles, D. C. (1988). Psychophysiology and Psychopathy: A Motivational Approach. Psychophysiology, 25(4), 373–391.
5. Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for Caring and Justice. Cambridge University Press.