Practicing Empathy

<p>There is widespread disagreement over what constitutes an experience of empathy. In this study of its value and moral features Mark Fagiano acknowledges the ambiguity surrounding the term and offers a unified theory of empathy that includes rival definitions. <p/>His historical account of the multiple meanings of empathy lays the groundwork for a new philosophical theory. Based on relations it resolves the problem of conflicting definitions of empathy by distinguishing between the three kinds of empathy: the relations of feeling into feeling with and feeling for each of which has been defined historically as a type of empathy. Fagiano's unique focus on relations on the modes and manner by which we are connected with things and with people reveals a transactional account of empathy that can be applied to a variety of different contexts and social circumstances. <p/> Grounded in the philosophical tradition of American Pragmatism Fagiano's approach demonstrates the practical benefits of adopting a broad and pluralistic understanding of empathy as both an idea and a practice. His pragmatic and contextualist philosophy of empathy provides a valuable starting point for answering some of the most pressing questions surrounding empathy today including can empathy be developed? Is empathy moral? What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?</p>