Radical Empathy
by David Wells
WORLD PREMIERE
Radical Empathy is not about you.
When an American college professor’s TED Talk on empathy goes viral, he meets an Iraqi man who becomes a fixture in his virtual classroom. But when the brutality of the U.S.-led invasion hits the Iraqi man directly, the professor is forced to explore “the kindred connection from a place of deep knowing that opens your spirit to the pain of another as they perceive it.” (Isabel Wilkerson) A true story.

By empathy we mean the ability to understand the emotions and point of view of another person and use this understanding to guide future action. This process involves the activation of complex functions on many levels, although neuroscience have taught us that it is part of the genetic equipment of our species and is probably one of the most powerful engines of evolution.

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that people value empathy more when they believe it comes from a human, even if the actual response was generated by AI. The research reveals that human-attributed responses are perceived as more supportive, more emotionally resonant, and more caring than identical AI-generated responses.

Why empathy matters
Empathy: the act of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another.

There are two types of empathy, cognitive and affective. Cognitive empathy refers to one’s ability to logically understand how and why someone would think and feel a certain way in a certain situation. Affective empathy, on the other hand, refers to one’s ability to share the feelings of others, though they may differ from our own feelings. In the world of policing, empathy is a tool that is essential for performing your duties.

You need empathy to read a room.

You need empathy to get inside the mind of a suspect.

You need empathy to intentionally and expertly help a buddy who isn’t OK.

Most cops like to stick with cognitive empathy, and for good reason. In law

How did we become so divided? For an answer, look no further than the way that empathy has been weaponized by both the left and right.

As is evident from Trump’s crackdown on protests outside US immigration detention facilities, the present occupant of the White House has no interest in stepping into the shoes of people who do not share his world view, least of all those infected with the “woke mind virus”. Instead, in MAGA circles empathy is increasingly derided as an irrational emotion that tricks us into having compassion for the “wrong” sorts of people, whether they be Mexican immigrants, Islamist terrorists or biological women “posing” as men.'

According to Gad Saad, a Canadian professor of marketing and evolutionary psychologist, such empathy is “suicidal” because it prompts us to act compassionately towards those who might do us harm. Saad’s favourite example is Karsten Nordal Hauken, a Norwegian man who was raped by a Somalian refugee and who describes himself as a feminist and anti-racist. In Saad’s telling, Hauken is now racked with guilt because his rapist is at risk of deportation to Somalia, a notoriously homophobic country. Other examples that Saad, a Jew of Syrian and Lebanese ancestry, likes to cite are Jews who make common cause with Hamas.

Businessolver, a leader in benefits and HR technology solutions, has released findings from its latest State of Workplace Empathy study, which surveys more than 26,000 CEOs, HR professionals, and employees. This year’s findings highlight five- and ten-year trends alongside the tangible ROI of empathy in today’s workplace, including an estimated $180 billion at risk annually due to attrition at organizations perceived as unempathetic.  

“Empathy isn’t just good for people—it’s good for business,” says Jon Shanahan, president and CEO at Businessolver. “Collectively, companies that fail to operationalize empathy are leaving $180 billion on the table and missing out on a high-ROI lever for long-term growth

Elon Musk admitted Tuesday that his decision to wave a chainsaw over his head onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February “lacked empathy.”

Musk was responding to an X user who argued that the multibillionaire’s erratic behavior as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency detracted from its work.

A new study shows that people rate empathic responses as more supportive and emotionally satisfying when they believe they come from a human—even if the same response is AI-generated.

The researchers tested whether people perceived empathy differently depending on whether it was labeled as coming from a human or from an AI chatbot. In all cases, the responses were crafted by large language models (LLMs), yet participants consistently rated the “human” responses as more empathic, more supportive, and more emotionally satisfying than the identical “AI” responses.

by Robert Reich
They’ve got it all wrong. Empathy is a necessary precondition for a society.

Without empathy, we’d be living in a social Darwinist jungle animated only by selfish individuals pursuing selfish needs, like Musk and Trump.

If everyone behaved like Musk and Trump, we’d have to assume everyone else was out to exploit us if they could. Much of our time and attention would be devoted to outwitting or protecting ourselves from other Musks and Trumps.

Without a shared sense of empathy and responsibility, we would have to assume that everyone — including legislators, judges, regulators, and police — was acting selfishly, making and enforcing laws for their own benefit.

Empathy is more than just feeling sorry for someone
It’s about understanding their emotions, seeing the world through their eyes, and responding with compassion. Sometimes, the right words can open our hearts and deepen our awareness of others' struggles. These 10 powerful quotes offer insight into what empathy truly means and why it’s so essential in a divided world.  

Leading with empathy requires us to have humility in complex situations—seeking to understand and be strategic instead of using assumptions and quick reactions. 

That’s why I teach people to be consciously curious. It’s the practice of slowing down our judgments, letting go of the need for instant certainty, and asking better questions to explore. Assumptions might work fast, but we need more than speed. Here’s how to do it.

When an American college professor’s TED Talk on empathy goes viral, he meets an Iraqi man who becomes a fixture in his virtual classroom. But when the brutality of the U.S.-led invasion hits the Iraqi man directly, the professor is forced to explore “the kindred connection from a place of deep knowing that opens your spirit to the pain of another as they perceive it.” (Isabel Wilkerson) A true story.

In a Noisy World, Listening Is Revolutionary

In our hyperconnected age, everyone has something to say—on social media, in meetings, at home, and in the constant stream of texts and notifications. We are awash in words.

Yet more than ever, people are desperate for something rarer and more precious than information: to be truly heard.

Listening is an act of generosity, attention, and care. It’s the foundation of strong relationships, effective leadership, creative collaboration, and social healing. But real listening—listening that goes beyond “waiting to talk”—is surprisingly hard, and getting harder.

Why does listening matter so much? What gets in the way? And how can you reclaim the art of listening for a richer, more meaningful life?

Empathy and (or vs?) AI
In an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, Stein’s insights carry both beauty and warning.

Today’s AI systems can produce what appear to be empathic responses. Chatbots can offer words of comfort, algorithms can detect sadness in a voice or hesitation in a text. These responses may sound convincingly human. But what they lack, Stein would insist, is presence.

The emotional language of AI, no matter how polished, is not rooted in a real lived engagement with another’s experience. It is imitation without consciousness.

That said, artificial intelligence can still serve, not substitute, empathy. AI tools can suggest gentler ways to phrase difficult truths, helping real people communicate with more compassion. When used this way — as an assistant rather than a replacement — AI can amplify and even fine-tune our capacity for attentiveness and care.

Empathetic leadership tip: Block a day or two in your quarterly roadmap for rest and reflection. Subsidize or sponsor self-care. Dedicate time to community care: a 30- to 60-minute session each quarter to check in on stressors and wins. This reflection time goes a long way toward building a culture of trust and connection. Make it actionable by committing to one small, measurable shift (e.g., enforcing a no-email hour, swapping a seated meeting for a walk-and-talk). 

By Dev Patnaik
That insight ultimately grew into my first book, Wired to Care. The book’s premise is fairly straightforward: a business has a greater chance of success when every person in the company has a gut-level intuition for the people they serve—the folks beyond their walls. That widespread intuition needs to be more than just a market research activity. It needs to be the result of culture.

When Wired to Care was published, most people weren’t using the word empathy in business. Empathy, after all, is seen as something soft. Something weak. And business—American business, anyway—is a culture steeped in the language of war. Companies have targets and beachheads. They assign chiefs of staff and war rooms. They launch ad campaigns and price wars. Within that context, empathy seemed out of place. I may have been better off choosing a word like intelligence or intuition. The irony isn’t lost on me that using the term empathy may have demonstrated a lack of empathy for my audience. But empathy captured something deeper, more instinctive, than intelligence ever could. And so, empathy it had to be…

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday reflected on his decision to wield a chain saw on stage in February to tout government spending cuts, saying the move “lacked empathy.”

Musk’s remark came in response to criticism from a social media user who pushed back on Musk’s claim that “Hitting the debt ceiling is the only thing that will actually force the government to cut waste and fraud.”

Greetings 

Our next Empathy Circle Facilitation Training starts July 12th!  The Empathy Circle Facilitation Training offers a powerful toolkit for personal growth, enhanced communication, and community building. By learning to guide structured dialogues, you will be able to cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself and others, leading to more meaningful and constructive relationships in all facets of life. We find deep listening in the Empathy Circle is a core practice of the Empathy Movement. 
  
Warmly,
Edwin Rutsch
Director: The Empathy Center