Joe Rigney's 'Sin of Empathy' collapses under the weight of its own internal contradictions and inconsistencies.

In this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us, we are joined by Julia Carrie Wong to discuss Elon Musk’s recent opposition to empathy, how it comes out of the Christian right, and the relationship it has to previous discussions of longtermism. 

During his most recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Elon Musk levelled a critique at empathy, calling it “the fundamental weakness of western civilization.”

If your first instinct is to brush this off as another example of Musk’s awkwardness, we suggest you think again. As journalist Julia Carrie Wong noted in The Guardian in April, Musk’s comments have appeared “amid a growing wave of opposition to empathy from across the American right.”

A diverse coalition of figures have taken up this “war on empathy,” including pastor Joe Rigney, conservative podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey and marketing professor Gad Saad.

Each has coined their own meme-able phrase: “The Sin of Empathy,” “Toxic Empathy” and “Suicidal Empathy,” respectively.

This video explores the "Empathy Paradox" in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), where individuals excel at recognizing emotions in others but often misinterpret them as negative due to heightened sensitivity. This distorted perception can lead to overreactions and impulsive behavior, especially in emotionally charged situations. While people with BPD have strong empathic skills, their heightened sensitivity often makes them feel overwhelmed and impairs decision-making.

Chronic social dysfunction is also driven by a learned distrust of others, making it difficult for those with BPD to form stable, positive views of people. This often results in an expectation of disrespect, hurt, or abandonment in interactions.

 
 

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Biologist and primatologist Frans de Waal reminds us that empathy is not uniquely human—it’s a mammalian trait.

Empathy is the emotional bridge that binds us—not only to each other but to the animals we care for. And it’s this very quality that forms the roots of human morality.
 
 

Empathy is a powerful force that shapes workplace culture and leadership effectiveness. Yet, under pressure, it often takes a backseat. That’s where leaders come in. The real effort is in finding ways to make empathy a natural part of how they lead—both in big-picture decisions and everyday conversations.

While many leaders equate empathy with kindness, employees seek tangible expressions such as flexible work arrangements, career development opportunities, and meaningful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. A Businessolver survey highlights a gap—while 86% of employees consider flexible work hours an essential demonstration of empathy, only 42% have experienced it. It’s time to move past surface-level gestures and build a culture where empathy is lived, and an integral part of leadership’s way of work!

Anand Giridharadas

El-Sayed argues, therefore, that the pro-democracy movement must obsessively seek to separate the posse from the bully. Which means adopting a posture that some fellow Democrats may not like: showing what he calls “radical empathy” for Trump voters, and viewing the choice millions made as an expression of desperation in an unresponsive system, a shout into the void.

That means not lapsing into the condescension toward lay voters that feels so satisfying and, oftentimes, so justified. It means not calling them Magats and brainwashed and irredeemable racists all. It means strategically biting your tongue and opening your arms. For winning’s sake.

By Tara Van Bommel, PhD

In recent years, there has been a great deal of discussion about the importance of empathy in the workplace. Empathy helps bond colleagues together and forms the foundation of a resilient and inclusive workplace.

Although it is often underestimated as a business skill, our findings suggest that empathy skills are a business imperative and essential to success in the future of work. It is important for organizational leaders to know the following about empathy: it is possible to cultivate and develop empathy; there are three aspects of empathy: cognitive (head/thinking), affective (heart/feeling), and behavioral (action/doing); and empathy is linked to many positive outcomes that teams can leverage to become more agile and innovative in times of crises.

My review of Joe Rigney’s The Sin of Empathy garnered quite a bit of interest. A lot of it was positive. Some of it… not so much.

Of course, there was the (predictable) trolling from anonymous male accounts on Twitter/X. My approach there was simple. Ignore. Block. Carry on with my life.

But there were also those who readily dismissed my review, in toto, for one of two reasons:

A yes-or-no answer doesn’t serve us. - Alastair Roberts - Start a free trial today for full access.

At its core, this simple act is what empathy looks like in practice. It is placing yourself in the shoes of another, to use that metaphor, and doing what you can to show care. According to Elon Musk and a growing number of Christian nationalists, empathy is a danger for our country, indeed for the Western world.

In a recent Saturday morning Weekend Edition, NPR host Sarah McCammon aired an interview with Musk broadcast from the “Joe Rogan Experience” in which Musk claimed the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy. In a discussion of immigration he says what we have is “civilizational suicidal empathy.” Jettisoning empathy is also convenient when as McCammon notes you are “making massive cuts to the federal government, including humanitarian programs at home and overseas.”

No need to consider the impact on children, seniors, Veterans or the lives of people who depend on aid for food or the most basic form of health care. 

Michael Ventura

Welcome to the first edition of this newsletter—where I’ll be exploring ideas around empathy, purpose, leadership, and the intersections that matter most to how we work, lead, and live.

To kick things off, I want to share a piece I wrote for The New York Times this past weekend.

It’s an OpEd that’s sparked a lot of spirited feedback—some of it challenging, all of it thought-provoking. The article centers on a core idea: that empathy, once widely celebrated as a virtue, is now being weaponized by some of the most influential figures in business and culture.

Yes, empathy can still be a bridge for connection, healing, and trust—but it can also be a tool for manipulation, control, and performance without accountability.

Rigney has written against “untethered empathy” for years, and he’s not the only Christian to do so. Last October, Allie Beth Stuckey of the popular Relatable podcast published Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion. Stuckey does not write as a pastor; in her world, women can’t do that. Instead she is a “content creator” and podcaster, and her book reads more like a script than a sermon. Still, there’s a logic at work, and it’s similar to Rigney Thought: Stuckey believes there is a difference between “toxic empathy” and biblical compassion. “If you really care about women, you’ll support their right to choose,” she complains. “If you’re really compassionate, you’ll welcome the immigrant.”

Gil Duran

The war on empathy, led by Elon Musk & Donald Trump, is a war on democracy. They seek to dramatically activate and polarize the Republican party

We write a lot about empathy here at FrameLab. As Dr. George Lakoff has said, democracy depends on empathy:

American democracy is based on empathy — citizens caring about other citizens and working through their government to provide public resources for all, making both decent lives and flourishing markets possible.

Why is empathy so crucial?

The logic is simple: Empathy is why we have the values of freedom, fairness, and equality – for everyone, not just for certain individuals. If we put ourselves in the shoes of others, we will want them to be free and treated fairly. Empathy with all leads to equality: no one should be treated worse than anyone else. Empathy leads us to democracy: to avoid being subject indefinitely to the whims of an oppressive and unfair ruler, we need to be able to choose who governs us and we need a government of laws.

Many leaders dismiss empathy as an optional, “touchy-feely” skill. But failing to demonstrate it can lead to low morale, poor retention, and a culture where people withhold ideas and concerns. If you want to drive better results, use these strategies to make empathy part of how you lead—consistently and clearly.

Start with a shared definition. Without agreement on what empathy actually is, your team will default to assumptions. Collectively define empathetic behaviors—for example, perspective-taking and respectful disagreement—and be specific about how they show up in your culture.

Be other-focused. Empathy means making space for others to feel heard, not filling the silence with your own experiences. Be present. Listen deeply. Ask open-ended questions. Resist the urge to rescue or relate.

The case for hellfire-and-brimstone empathy
For show notes and more information, visit:
https://www.christianitytoday.com/podcasts/the-russell-moore-show/

People with Alzheimer's disease may retain their ability to empathize, despite declines in other social abilities, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

The researchers found that people with Alzheimer's disease scored slightly higher on a measure of empathy than peers of the same age with mild cognitive impairment, despite scoring worse on other measures of social cognition such as recognising facial emotions and understanding the thoughts of others.

The authors of the study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia and supported by Wellcome, say this may be the first time a cognitive domain has been found to improve in dementia