An invigorating, relevant and often very funny re-evaluation of empathy, one of our culture’s most ubiquitous sacred cows, which in Mr. Bloom’s view should be gently led to the abattoir.” — New York Times
“Provocative . . . In a time of post-truth politics, his book offers a much-needed call for facts.” — The Economist
“Cleverly contrarian…” — New York Post
“A lucidly argued tract about the hazards of good intentions.” — Vox
“Like a tough-to-crack case against an idea that most of us have long known is key to repairing the world… will legitimately change how you think about the world and your own sense of morality.” — New York Magazine
“Mr. Bloom is undoubtedly right that empathy alone makes for bad policy: While it can motivate us to care, we need reason to help us design and implement policies aimed at reducing suffering.” — Wall Street Journal
“A nuanced foray into some fraught grey areas.” — Nature
“Refreshing.” — Library Journal
“Provocative… and powerful.” — Publishers Weekly
“Bloom’s more positive view of the role of reason fits with what I take to be the correct understanding of ethics.” — Project Syndicate
“An intriguing counterattack to modern psychological cynicism.” — Kirkus
“Bloom challenges one of our most cherished assumptions about what it takes to be good. With elegance and humor, Bloom reveals just how flawed that assumption is, and offers a new vision of a moral life-one based on how our minds actually work.” — Carl Zimmer, author of Evolution: Making Sense of Life
“Bloom’s analysis is penetrating, comprehensive, and timely. Against Empathy is destined to become a classic in psychology.” — Michael Shermer, Publisher Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist Scientific American, and author of The Moral Arc and The Science of Good and Evil
“Despite a near consensus about its merits, Bloom shows that empathy is often just the warm embrace of prejudice-and, like anger, a reliable source of moral confusion. . . . a thrilling book, and reading it could well make you a better person.” — Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, and Waking Up
“I couldn’t put this brilliantly argued book down.” — Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and The Triple Package
“A brilliant, witty, and convincing defense of rational generosity against its pain-feeling detractors. Read this book and you will never think about empathy, goodness, or cold-blooded reason the same way again.”- — Larissa MacFarquhar, author of Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help
“Brilliant, powerful, and provocative, Against Empathy is sure to be one of the most controversial books of our time.” — Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness
“One of the most thought-provoking and convincing books I’ve read. Bloom’s logic is compelling, his prose fluid, and his deep humanity and compassion always evident. A must-read for those who want an alternative to a world where emotional gambits reign supreme—for better and often, for worse.” — Maria Konnivkova, author of The Confidence Game
“The title may shock, but this is a book of calm reason and expansive compassion. It’s also a pleasure to read: warm, lucid, and thought-provoking.” — Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
“Bracing and provocative, Against Empathy takes a scalpel to empathy. This lucid and entertaining book argues there is a better way - that our capacity for reason, tempered with compassion, will make us better policy makers and better people.” — Emily Yoffe, author of What the Dog Did
Provocative . . . In a time of post-truth politics, his book offers a much-needed call for facts.
Bloom’s more positive view of the role of reason fits with what I take to be the correct understanding of ethics.
Cleverly contrarian…
Mr. Bloom is undoubtedly right that empathy alone makes for bad policy: While it can motivate us to care, we need reason to help us design and implement policies aimed at reducing suffering.
An invigorating, relevant and often very funny re-evaluation of empathy, one of our culture’s most ubiquitous sacred cows, which in Mr. Bloom’s view should be gently led to the abattoir.
A lucidly argued tract about the hazards of good intentions.
Like a tough-to-crack case against an idea that most of us have long known is key to repairing the world… will legitimately change how you think about the world and your own sense of morality.
A nuanced foray into some fraught grey areas.
I couldn’t put this brilliantly argued book down.
Despite a near consensus about its merits, Bloom shows that empathy is often just the warm embrace of prejudice-and, like anger, a reliable source of moral confusion. . . . a thrilling book, and reading it could well make you a better person.
Bloom’s analysis is penetrating, comprehensive, and timely. Against Empathy is destined to become a classic in psychology.
The title may shock, but this is a book of calm reason and expansive compassion. It’s also a pleasure to read: warm, lucid, and thought-provoking.
Bracing and provocative, Against Empathy takes a scalpel to empathy. This lucid and entertaining book argues there is a better way - that our capacity for reason, tempered with compassion, will make us better policy makers and better people.
A nuanced foray into some fraught grey areas.
Mr. Bloom is undoubtedly right that empathy alone makes for bad policy: While it can motivate us to care, we need reason to help us design and implement policies aimed at reducing suffering.
Cleverly contrarian…
Against Empathy is an invigorating, relevant and often very funny re-evaluation of empathy, one of our culture's most ubiquitous sacred cows, which in Mr. Bloom's view should be gently led to the abattoir…[Bloom] is by no means making the case for heartlessness. His point, rather, is that empathy is untempered by reason, emanating from the murky bayou of the gut. He prefers a kind of rational compassion—a mixture of caring and detached cost-benefit analysis. His book is a systematic attempt to show why this is so…More than any book I've read this year, Against Empathy is an overt, joyful conversation with readers.
The New York Times - Jennifer Senior
09/19/2016
Bloom challenges one of our most cherished assumptions about what it takes to be good. With elegance and humor, Bloom reveals just how flawed that assumption is, and offers a new vision of a moral life-one based on how our minds actually work.
Brilliant, powerful, and provocative, Against Empathy is sure to be one of the most controversial books of our time.
A brilliant, witty, and convincing defense of rational generosity against its pain-feeling detractors. Read this book and you will never think about empathy, goodness, or cold-blooded reason the same way again.”-
One of the most thought-provoking and convincing books I’ve read. Bloom’s logic is compelling, his prose fluid, and his deep humanity and compassion always evident. A must-read for those who want an alternative to a world where emotional gambits reign supreme—for better and often, for worse.
10/15/2016
Though listeners will need some patience to sort through the nuances of this philosophical broadside, narrator Karen Cass’s affecting narration adds the dramatic flair needed to keep the action moving—even when the author's distinctions and arguments are challenging. Her confidence and appealing British diction provide the elegance needed to make Bloom’s ruthless clarity digestible. The Yale professor says that empathy—feeling what others feel—is not a reliable way to make ethical decisions because it’s subject to bias. Research shows it’s more powerful toward individuals and small groups, people in dramatic situations, people who have familiar loyalties or noble values, and toward our own families and tribes. Bloom’s discussion is a welcome reminder that emotional reactions can lead us down the wrong path if not examined with care. T.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2016-10-05
