8/3/2019 7RZ

1/1

F. de Vignemont, T. Singer, The empathic brain: how, when and why?, Trends in Cognitive

Sciences 2006, vol. 10 (10), pp. 435-441.

Theses:

1) Empathy is not a purely automatic reaction to exposure to emotional state of others.Authors propose a new contextual approach. According to it, empathic brain responses are

modified by modulatory factors.

2) Empathy plays two different roles: (1) an epistemological role and (2) a social role. In the

first case, empathy provides information about the future actions of other people and

important environmental properties. In the second case, empathy is understood as a source of

the motivation for cooperative and prosocial behavior.

Abstract:

Authors question the assumption that the empathy should be understood as an automatic

mechanism which become active every time when we observe others displaying emotion.They start from the presentation of various definitions of empathy, and chose one which is

more narrow than others (there is empathy if: (1) one is in an affective state; (2) this state is

isomorphic to another persons affective state; (3) this state is elicited by the observation or

imagination of another persons affective state; (4) one knows that the other person is the

source of ones own affective state). Empathy as understood is a subject to contextual

appraisal and modulation. This modulation neednt necessary be a function of our conscious

thought. Contrary to this intuition, modification of our empathic responses can be also fast

and implicit. Therefore, we have two separate routs of modification our empathic response.

Variables which can have impact on magnitude of our empathic response are for example

as follows: age, personality, empathizers past experience, situational context (when we are

exposed to more than one, and different form each other, emotional states of others). Also, as

authors point out, people more easier empathize with primary emotions (fear, sadness) than

with secondary emotions (jealously). Apart from describing ways in which empathy works,

authors also propose an evolutionary answer for the question: why empathy evolved? It

fulfills two major roles: (1) epistemological, which allows us to predict subsequent behavior

of other members of society, and (2) social, because empathy is one of the source of the

motivation for cooperative behavior. Authors, dont claim however that possession of

empathic brain responses is conditionsine qua non for having morality.

Commentary:

Empathy as understood as in the paper becomes a very interesting mechanism, crucial for our

social communications, and cooperative behaviors. Argument against understanding brain

empathic responses in the purely automatic manner fits well in more broader way of

argumentation which is present in contemporary neuroscience and philosophy.