Psychology Today | 03.02.2026 21:51
Empathy has become one of those ideas that feels almost untouchable. It’s hard to criticize without sounding cold or dismissive, and so we rarely do. In psychology, education, and public life, we’re encouraged—often rightly—to understand where people are coming from, especially when their behavior is troubling or difficult to defend. But over time, I’ve become less certain that empathy, on its own, is the moral guide we sometimes assume it to be.
