Comments on: Reasons for Compassion and Charity http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/2010/01/20/reasons-for-compassion-and-charity/ Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:29:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: victoria http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/2010/01/20/reasons-for-compassion-and-charity/comment-page-1/#comment-2675 victoria Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:47:18 +0000 http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/?p=4599#comment-2675 I am curious about the psychology of empathy in situations of mass, and extremely publicized, suffering, like Haiti today. Or, perhaps, it isn't truly empathy, but another kind of psychology. The suffering certainly existed to a different extent before the earthquake without people feeling the need to twitter and donate. I can see how giving makes one feel better, and how it makes one more attractive. But why giving and showing compassion in this public way about such an obvious target? Compassion when the problem is so great to be almost unfixable, and only when everyone else is also demonstrating compassion. I am curious about the psychology of empathy in situations of mass, and extremely publicized, suffering, like Haiti today. Or, perhaps, it isn’t truly empathy, but another kind of psychology. The suffering certainly existed to a different extent before the earthquake without people feeling the need to twitter and donate. I can see how giving makes one feel better, and how it makes one more attractive. But why giving and showing compassion in this public way about such an obvious target? Compassion when the problem is so great to be almost unfixable, and only when everyone else is also demonstrating compassion.

]]> By: Lloyd Morgan http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/2010/01/20/reasons-for-compassion-and-charity/comment-page-1/#comment-2674 Lloyd Morgan Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:18:51 +0000 http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/?p=4599#comment-2674 Hi Alex, No, I have not yet read <em>The Selfish Gene</em> but I plan on doing so this year. It is currently lying in my room just above <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach" title="Gödel, Escher, Bach - Wikipedia" rel="nofollow">GEB</a> and just below <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_via_Nurture:_Genes,_Experience,_%26_What_Makes_Us_Human" title="Nature via Nurture - Wikipedia" rel="nofollow">Nature via Nurture</a>. You mentioning this has probably pushed it up the queue, though. Hi Alex,

No, I have not yet read The Selfish Gene but I plan on doing so this year. It is currently lying in my room just above GEB and just below Nature via Nurture.

You mentioning this has probably pushed it up the queue, though.

]]> By: Alex Miller http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/2010/01/20/reasons-for-compassion-and-charity/comment-page-1/#comment-2673 Alex Miller Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:25:52 +0000 http://www.lonegunman.co.uk/?p=4599#comment-2673 Have you ever read Richard Dawkin's The Selfish Gene? He writes some very interesting words about alturism & evolution. Have you ever read Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene? He writes some very interesting words about alturism & evolution.

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