Does Fiction Make Us Less Empathic?

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  • Author(s): Currie, Greg1 (AUTHOR)
  • Source:
    Teorema. 2016, Vol. 35 Issue 3, p47-68. 22p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      FICTION; EMPATHY; EMOTIONS; PROSOCIAL behavior; ETHICS; PSYCHOLOGY of literature
    • Abstract:
      It is said that certain kinds of fictions have the capacity to enhance our empathic powers. I offer three contributions to this debate. First, the evidence for this claim is poor. Secondly, it is important to distinguish a capacity on the part of fiction to encourage empathic responding and a capacity to enhance our rational control of empathy. Finally, I suggest a number of ways in which fiction may discourage empathy or the prosocial behaviour we expect empathy to provoke; I examine one of these ways in some detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
      En este artículo se defiende que ciertos géneros de ficción tienen la capacidad de realzar nuestras capacidades empáticas. Ofrezco tres contribuciones a este debate. En primer lugar, la evidencia a favor de esta afirmación es pobre. En segundo lugar, es importante distinguir entre la capacidad que pueda tener la ficción para favorecer una respuesta empática y la capacidad de realzar nuestro control racional de la empatía. Finalmente, sugiero un cierto número de modos en los que la ficción puede desfavorecer la empatía o la conducta pro-social que esperamos que provoque la empatía. Examino uno de esos modos con algún detalle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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