Trumps Empathy Deficit

Empathy a part of leadership and Trump could use a dash. Empathy is the ability to walk a mile in the shoes of another to see the world from their point of view. Though both words have roots in the Greek pathos or suffering, empathy is not the same thing as sympathy, which involves feeling sorry for someone from an external point of view.

If you feel sympathy, you might well do something nice, but you’d do it from a remove. Trump has expressed sympathy. Empathy, though, means you really feel connected to someone’s actual life experience, even if far different from your own. The Greek philosopher Aristotle discussed it in reference to tragedy through the concepts of pity and fear. Speaking of Mr. A Aristotle conceives of ethical theory as a good action and must respect the fact that in this field many generalizations hold only for the most part.