Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Empathy

<p>Empathy plays a central role in the history and contemporary study of ethics interpersonal understanding and the emotions yet until now has been relatively underexplored. <i>The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Empathy</i> is an outstanding reference source to the key topics problems and debates in this exciting field and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising over thirty chapters by a team of international contributors the <i>Handbook</i> is divided into six parts: </p> <p></p> <ul> <p> <li>Core issues</li> <li>History of empathy</li> <li>Empathy and understanding</li> <li>Empathy and morals</li> <li>Empathy in art and aesthetics</li> <li>Empathy and individual differences.</li> <p></p></ul> <p></p> <p>Within these sections central topics and problems are examined including: empathy and imagination; neuroscience; David Hume and Adam Smith; understanding; evolution; altruism; moral responsibility; art aesthetics and literature; gender; empathy and related disciplines such as anthropology.</p> <p></p> <p>Essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy particularly ethics and philosophy of mind and psychology the <i>Handbook</i> will also be of interest to those in related fields such as anthropology and social psychology.</p> <p></p>