Hope for Humanity - The Empathic Civilisation
 

There's hope for the human race, because we're soft-wired for love and companionship and the desire to belong.

RSA Animate - The Empathic Civilisation

Bestselling author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our development and our society.

I think this thought-provoking video is worth a little of your time.

people can only be as empathic as the world alows them to be.

Okay, I'll bite.

Wow, this supposes a lot of premises.

So the point of this is 'Can't we all get along?'

Save us from?


And how does he KNOW about heaven or Utopia?

(though I like the idea of connectedness)

its very simple dude , when you "FEEL" some ones pain your more likely not to hurt them.


Suppose, every time you hit your dog you actually felt the "exact" same pain he is feeling.

would you hit your dog often??

I don't hit my dog, but I know that's not your point.

I understand the idea, but I disagree. Most often when we lash out in anger (not even physically) we know we are being hurtful. It is done on purpose. It's nasty, but hurting the other's feelings is usually the point. Why that is done is usually complicated.

I would if I were a masochist.

Usually when we hurt others, it is precisely because we "choose" to ignore the mirror nuerons and the empathic instinct. We can feel what the hurt party is going to feel and we choose to override that feeling and do it anyway.

That is not taking into account sociopaths ... or the occasional confused masochist. :-p

Ewwww... you sick puppy.

Looks like America is screwed then...

http://tinyurl.com/297ek5v

http://tinyurl.com/297ek5v

>.> well America is full of ignorant people. no surprise there.

Always the ray of sunshine, aren't you Sternn?

I think a lot of it has to do with understanding the level of comprehension of another animal. I could say, my cat has dreams because I can watch its behavior while it sleeps. If it dreams and if it can hunt it has to be able to run scenarios through in its mind and have an emotional reaction to it. If it can do that, it can form its own thoughts, right? It can see something small and want to give chase or something large and turn in fear. Much like I can do. ANd that leel of comprehension could help determin how I might decide a treatment to be unfair or permissable.

no body with a "HEALTHY" mind hurts somebody unprovoked. IMHO

Who here mentioned unprovoked?

i did... ^__^

but that's not the point... the point i tried to make was that when you hurt another sentient being is just a re-action to threat of a cetain kind and if you hurt someone "unprovoked" it should be a red flag that your brain is not right ...

god yous should just fucking get along OK

I empathize with you feelings,


but disagree.

it would be SO much easer for all of you