Selfish Versus Otherish
It might be easy to assume that self- interest and interest in others’ well-being would be at opposite ends of a spectrum, but that turned out not to be true.
It might be easy to assume that self- interest and interest in others’ well-being would be at opposite ends of a spectrum, but that turned out not to be true.
Empathy, or the ability to put yourself in another person’s place, to imagine what they feel, is one of the most important features of civilized people. Without empathy, we get bullying, violence, and “victimless” crimes. Lack of empathy is one of the definitive symptoms that separate a sociopath from the rest of us. Empathy matters.
Grant writes “Being a Giver who enjoys helping others can be inefficient in the short run but surprisingly productive in the long run.”