The Science of Evil: On Empathy and The Origins of Cruelty(book recommendation)

[Three]

Cruelty is a topic which has fascinated me for years. I still remember very vividly my feelings of utter bewilderment that I experienced towards some of my earliest encounters with such acts. Whether it was a more personal example such as verbal aggression coming from a school yard bully or something more distant that I had read about or seen in a history book, I've never been able to wrap my head around what could enable people to be mean; let alone enjoy it.

 

One example of me attempting to solve this enigma that comes to mind was when I was around the age of 15 or so. While an old friend and I were watching a an anime film, one of the antagonists ejected one of those oh so derisive maniacal laughs that we've grown so accustomed to from villains. After which, I couldn't help asking, "Why do villains always laugh when they hurt people?"

 

Apparently being annoyed with my question, my friend replied quickly and irritably, as if the answer were obvious, "I don't know, maybe for the same reason YOU laugh at things YOU think are funny". As a result, I didn't make any attempts to take the query any further and so, I was back to square one. Of course, l understood that laughter is a reaction that occurs as a result of finding something funny. But, that wasn't a satisfying answer. I wanted to know why they find it funny. What is it that makes some people able to find humor and enjoy the suffering in others, while others are repulsed?

 

Since then, despite many attempts to arrive at some form of closure regarding this topic, I've remained at a loss for a satisfactory explanation as to how exactly some people are capable of treating other people as objects. Even since my discovery of the concept of empathy and how a lack thereof allows others to inflict suffering, the more I thought about things, the more confused I became.

 

For example, if empathy is merely the ability to "understand what another person is thinking and feeling" so to speak, and if a lack of this ability is what allows for others to be cruel, how is it that the sociopath seems incredibly adept at understanding the preferences of his target, uses his knowledge about the target's desires in order to better exploit him, and on top of that is totally aware that he is inflicting harm, yet doesn't care.

 

Also, how is it that others I've encountered apparently lack empathy in certain situations, meaning they are completely oblivious to what others are thinking and feeling, but are at worst just a bit of a nuisance because they don't understand social cues. One minor example that occurs to mind is of someone who, as I was trying create distance between us so I could eat, he followed me and went on and on about the disgusting pictures of flesh wounds he was looking looking at on the internet the night before. It didn't occur to him that I might not want to be grossed out while I was eating.

 

However, this same gentleman doesn't strike me as someone who is cruel. Had I pointed out to him that I would prefer solitude or that he was making me upset, my gut tells me that he would have felt bad and apologized. This suggests that empathy is a spectrum, with some on the high end and some on the low end. Also, empathy is something that can be permanently lost in some, such as the case of the psychopath, while being in a state of non empathy for others is a merely transient state, which I am not immune to entering into. I am capable and have committed acts of cruelty too, so I'm not putting myself on a pedestal of superiority.

 

Because mere speculation isn't satisfying to me, in order to figure out precisely where I land on the empathy spectrum, I took the "Empathy Quotient Test", which consists of 60 questions. I scored a 66 out of 80, which means I have a high ability for understanding how other people feel and responding appropriately . This is actually remarkably close what I would have rated myself if I were to have just guessed, which again demonstrates self empathy/awareness. It also indicates growth since the last time I attempted to answer this question speculatively, I would have said it was quite low.

 

That may all be well and good, but what exactly is empathy? After years of searching for an answer, I finally found a satisfactory explanation in Simon Baron Cohen's amazing book called, "The Science of Evil: On Empathy and The Origins of Cruelty". For anyone else who is interested in the topic, this is an essential must read.

 

My own understanding of empathy not only became vastly enriched by this book, but so did my own empathy for the non empathetic. Empathy is not an all or nothing ability, but is a complex process to that involves not just the cognitive awareness of what others are thinking or feeling, but also involves an affective aspect that allows for responding with the appropriate emotions to another person's subjectivity.

 

Both aspects of empathy are only possible only if a full circuitry of multiple brain regions are working simultaneously. And depending on which parts work or don't work, for whatever reason, is what distinguishes whether someone is either a psychopath who is aware of other's feelings and doesn't care or who is autistic who genuinely has trouble identifying the feelings of others as well as themselves.

 

But, nothing more I could say could really do the book justice. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Take care.

[Wuzzums]

When you're talking about your empathy score, are you referring to this test?

I took it and got a score of 20. However I don't see how accurate it is to measure empathy since some questions are such that the more you let yourself be manipulated by other people's emotions the more empathy points you get (39. I am able to make decisions without being influenced by people’s feelings.). Furthermore it doesn't distinguish between actually having empathy, i.e. I know what the other person is feelings, and having the impression of knowing what the other person is feeling (22. I find it easy to put myself in somebody else’s shoes. 44. I can sense if I am intruding, even if the other person doesn’t tell me.). Some questions only have one answer seeing how they are scientific facts (5. I dream most nights.). And what does impulsivity have to do with empathy (24. I like to do things on the spur of the moment.)?

 

Lastly, the answers are very case dependent. I'm a lot more empathetic towards someone I know rather than a total stranger.

[Three]

When you're talking about your empathy score, are you referring to this test?

I took it and got a score of 20. However I don't see how accurate it is to measure empathy since some questions are such that the more you let yourself be manipulated by other people's emotions the more empathy points you get (39. I am able to make decisions without being influenced by people’s feelings.). Furthermore it doesn't distinguish between actually having empathy, i.e. I know what the other person is feelings, and having the impression of knowing what the other person is feeling (22. I find it easy to put myself in somebody else’s shoes. 44. I can sense if I am intruding, even if the other person doesn’t tell me.). Some questions only have one answer seeing how they are scientific facts (5. I dream most nights.). And what does impulsivity have to do with empathy (24. I like to do things on the spur of the moment.)?

 

Lastly, the answers are very case dependent. I'm a lot more empathetic towards someone I know rather than a total stranger.

Here's an article which explains the rationale behind the choice of the questions. 

 

http://isik.zrc-sazu.si/doc2009/kpms/Baron-Cohen_empathy_quotient_2004.pdf