The Genealogy of Empathy and Its New Ethical Value
Abstract: Ever since the 18th century,studies of the philosophy of emotion and psychology have been consistently focused on empathy,which also prompted Husserls research of phenomenology,who regarded empathy as the key to solving problems with intersubjectivity.Although Husserl employs empathy in an attempt to neutralize the contradictions between the subject and the other,his methodology fundamentally relies on self-reflection.This examination diverges from the fundamental principles of a true empathetic relationship,which embeds itself in equality and mutual respect.In the digital age,Internets “multi-center” and “multi-node” structure has aligned subjectivity with “relatedness” and thus elicited a critical reassessment of intersubjectivity,regardless of bodily or sensory premises.It particularly entails a new standing point in the “disembodied” milieu of digital networks.Interactions within virtual realms,though devoid of face-to-face contacts,maintain and even intensify the emotional resonance among individuals with unprecedented structural and technological advantages.In this sense,Martin Bubers concept of “relational ontology” could renew itself within the context of cyberspace.Nevertheless,empathy also faces the crisis of alienation and manipulation in a capital-driven society.The “cobweb-like” interpersonal network of traditional society,originally confined to kinship and geographical ties,has evolved into a “network of mobility” full of uncertainty.This transformation,among other things,makes it necessary to reveal the “immutable mobile” as a protocol of interaction underpinned by changes.
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