I would like you to watch this video and consider the theological, psychological and cultural implications it makes. Then I would like you to reflect on the various other debates going on here in SD and LD about religion, evolution and whatever else we choose to argue about.

Is empathy grounded on Earth? I certainly think so. I'm keen to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Moved to LD.

If this wants to be moved back to SD, the OP can PM me asking for details.

You can create a new section called ND (No Discussion) and move this there - based on the current activity

Come on people, good quality intellectual nuggets have been thrown at you. You wouldn't stand for those nuggets if I was a primate..

i liked the pictures



But no, in all seriousness, it was interesting.

Sadly I don't disagree with too much in the video.

He can't spell Civilization
It does make sense though, and not to force a religious view, but this concept of empathy lines up with Creation as well as Evolution.
People being naturally empathetic, sin being the problem that causes everything.
Of course, I attribute all the problems in the world to misunderstandings. Everything bad comes out of misunderstandings.

Okiedokie, watch from 4:38. from 'there is no empathy in utopia'.

We have come from tribal based 'blood tie' empathy, then into theological consciousness and became de-tribalised. This happened alongside the time-space compression (we can travel further, eg: 1800s steam ships top speed 12km/h, telegram from london to australia about two weeks... whereas today, email at the speed of light / skype phone calls etc)...

Would you agree with the statement that our 'race' as a whole is reluctant to extend our own empathy to the global level? We see so much hatred and animosity between cultural groups, religions, ethnicities etc...

Don't listen, he's just mad because it referred to his faith as a fiction.

Come again?

7:00

The video said that individuals sort of "feel" the same thing as other individuals when they see something happen to them. It goes on to suggest that the whole world could be linked emphatically, citing the earthquake in Haiti as an example of global empathy. It says that within hours, people were rushing to Haiti's aid. However, I'm not sure if that is exactly an indicator of the sureness of global empathy. Many people empathized with the Haitians, but many more were simply indifferent. You see a hundred tweets about something and notice it, but you don't notice normality when no one is tweeting about it.

I'm sure modern communications will bring about greater global empathy, but I'm not sure if the entire world will ever be connected in an empathetic network as described in the video.