It is worth pointing out that different authors can mean very different things by "empathy".
It does not necessarily imply benevolence!
Will AI controlled robots ever show empathy?
James
Depends what you mean by losers!
Lose your ego? Lose your arrogance? Lose your narcissism?
Then the answer would be "YES"!
Roughly -- lose in the competition to build an empire with yourself at its top. (See ALL human history for context ...)
James
But what exactly is one losing? If you get to the top of an empire will you be really happy? Probably not, so in that context you are not losing. :-)
No, empathy is not only for losers when building an empire, whether it's a research or business empire. In fact, empathy can be a valuable and important trait for success in any endeavor, including empire-building. Here are a few reasons why empathy is beneficial:
Understanding others: Empathy allows you to understand the needs, motivations, and perspectives of the people you interact with, such as employees, customers, and stakeholders. This understanding can help you make informed decisions, tailor your approach, and build better relationships.
Effective leadership: Empathy enables you to connect with and inspire others. By demonstrating that you understand and care about their concerns, you can foster a positive work culture, motivate your team, and promote collaboration and innovation.
Customer-centric approach: In business, understanding the needs and emotions of your customers is crucial. Empathy helps you identify their pain points, design products or services that truly meet their needs, and build long-term loyalty.
Building partnerships: Empathy allows you to build strong partnerships and alliances with other individuals and organizations. By considering their perspectives, goals, and interests, you can negotiate mutually beneficial agreements and create win-win situations.
Conflict resolution: Empathy plays a key role in resolving conflicts and managing difficult situations. By understanding the feelings and concerns of all parties involved, you can facilitate open communication, find common ground, and reach effective resolutions.
While empathy is important, it's also essential to strike a balance and not let it compromise your decision-making or strategic thinking. Successful empire-building requires a combination of empathy, vision, determination, and effective execution
No. A leader building an empire needs empathy as a powerful life skill to develop interpersonal relationship and social wellbeing.
One needs affective/emotional empathy, cognitive and compassionate empathy to build research or business empire.
A question to Maryrose! Would you say that Adolf Hitler, for example, was good at empathy? He undeniably built an empire if only a short lived one.
James
Empathy, by definition, involves the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. While Hitler was known for his charismatic and persuasive speaking skills, which allowed him to gain support and manipulate public opinion, it is crucial to differentiate between empathy and manipulation.
Hitler's actions and policies demonstrate a profound lack of empathy.
Although Hitler was able to rally support and build an empire during his time in power, the means by which he achieved this were marked by violence, oppression, and suppression of dissent. It is important to evaluate historical figures like Hitler not solely based on their achievements in terms of power and control, but also on the ethical and moral consequences of their actions.
In conclusion, while Hitler demonstrated manipulative skills and was able to mobilize a large following, he displayed a profound lack of empathy through his policies and actions. The immense suffering and loss of life caused by his regime overshadow any fleeting accomplishments in terms of building an empire.
James Doran , I think we all know what kind of people who lack empathy, (psychopaths) Empathy is a key ingredient of relationships (customers, e.g.,) empathy also helps us understand perspectives like the needs and intentions of others.
No needs no customers!
here is some research and psychometric test that I hope can be of insight in this question. Entrepreneur profile test – Find out what motivates and drives you due to my research https://entrepreneurprofiletest.com
Empathy for Losers ? Bad answer because people or consumers Love when they have the feeling to fall in love with :......the Face of the product , Bill Gates is one of the best examples of Empathy concept being implemented to build an Unicornesque Business Empire !
Ricardo, "Unicornesque" got to be worth a pat on the back in anyone's belief system ... James
James, thank you for the question. My humble response: Empathy is not a weakness nor a limiting characteristic for humans. It is a strength that enables meaningful connections, effective leadership, and positive societal impact. By cultivating empathy, we can contribute to creating a more empathetic and compassionate world.
It seems that no one is prepared to give a view about a COMPUTER MODEL of empire growth and persistence -- it's happening now and has throughout human history -- and whether empathy has a role to play in such a model. It's not that weird a question. Agent based computer models are fashionable in social science!
We badly need some effective social science theory about empires and how to stop them colliding before they self destruct with huge loss of human (and other) life. Sadly, vaguely defined words and opinions are not nearly enough!
All hands to the pumps!
James
An outline of a computer model of empire emergence, involving empathy, will appear here shortly. James
James Doran - depends what you mean by a "computer model". If it is a Newtonian, linear approach it will be of limited use in a area that involves emotions and values. This is a complex issue and needs to be treated as Complex Adaptive System. If you model is a CAS approach then I am very much looking forward to it :-)
John
Certainly NOT a Newtonian linear approach.
More a HIGHLY ABSTRACT COMPUTER SIMULATION including REPRESENTATIONS of emotions and their impact.
James
Initial OUTLINE specification for relevant computer simulation/model.
(Much detail will be needed later!)
1. Initially separated UNITS move at random on an unbounded plane.
2. units have ABSTRACT PROPERTIES notably relating to the use and non use of EMPATHY.
DEFN. EMPATHY: The ABILITY to understand and share the feelings of others.
Recall that ALL abilities may or may not be used on any particular occasion depending on the circumstances of the individual posessing them.
3. when by chance two units meet one of them MAY come to be permanently dominated by the other. (How? Think about it.}
QUESTION
In time, will one of more DOMINANCE HIERARCHIES certainly arise??
ALL COMMENTS WELCOME!
James
James Doran Definitions (what we humans put into systems are always a problem in that they directly impact the outcome). If the definition of Empathy is not precise or understand and accepted, the definition will have a profound impact on the outcome of your reserarh.
Personally I think your definition of empathy is more what I would define as "sympathy". We find that empathy is quite complex and better defined as "Listening attentively, demonstrating you have heard and understand their feelings, identifying the underlying cause of the person's perspective and expressing that you understand their perspective". Sharing feelings can get in the way of true empathy but is an important part of sympathy.
Hope this helps in some way!
John
The definition of empathy I have given is standard dictionary AND I find it appropriate and meaningful.
However I agree that many people use the term much more imprecisely.
Whereas your "definition", I feel, goes way beyond the basic ability in an unhelpful way.
James
James Doran I understand what you are saying and appreciate your perspective but probably don't share your feelings :-)
Empathy is fundamental in all areas, business, organizations in general, sports, in our home, on the street. Empathy is what makes us human and sociable. It refers to the ability to understand others through their gaze and their expression, and we do this practically from birth. Empathy fosters relationships and so it is fundamental in organizations, it is closely linked to emotional intelligence. More empathetic people are better colleagues and better leaders.
Some points about empathy and suppression of it:
1.
When William and his Normans invaded and crushed all opposition in England in 1066, thus founding the British Empire which is STILL just about in existence, was he using his empathy and if so how?
2.
The prime example of empathy is surely between mother and her newborn or months old child
3.
Animals frequently show empathy between one another and with humans.
4.
Consider the (female) leader of a herd of elephants on the move.
5.
John's long defintion of empathy appears to depend upon a shared language?
6. Garnered from Prof Edward Tsang; consider a military commander parachuting his soldiers behind enemy lines to create a distraction, the main assult to come elsewhere, even though they have little chance of survival. Common occurence!
Best regards
James
In my mind, 2, 3 and 4 are great examples of understanding the other rather than sharing feelings, which resonates with my definition of Empathy. For 1 and 6 the leader may well have shown empathy to specific individuals in specific situations but I would agree there is little empathy in the concept of war which is why we would be better off without such conflict.
John -- your last conclusion seems a touch banal when you consider that warfare and empires are ubiquitous throughout recorded human history. But I will reflect further upon your views.
Meanwhile revenons a nos moutons -- towards a computer model of the role of empathy in the rise and fall of empires. More to come!
James Doran
Re empathy. You might find of interest these video shorts presented by a colleague of mine
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oSa5jTGxrBY
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/w1-z-xN-L-U
Regards
John
IMPORTANT THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF MY POST OF JUNE 27 RE DESIGN OF A COMPUTER SIMULATION MODEL FOR EXPERIMENTING WITH THE POSSIBLE ROLES OF EMPATHY IN THE RISE AND FALL OF EMPIRES
Key unanswered question is, when two units meet, whether and how one may become a follower of the other.
EXCLUDE a unit becoming a follower of two or more others!
tbc shortly
CONTINATION of post of an hour ago ...
With each unit there are associated two EMPATHY RELATED PARAMETERS
EMP1 the probability that its empathy is active at a particular encounter
EMP2 the effectiveness of this units empathy (fixed) between 0 and 1
In an encounter a unit (X say) becomes a follower of another (Y say) if either the empathy of X is off (but not the empathy of Y off) OR the empathy of X is less than that of Y by a margin EMP3 (global parameter)
Comments welcome, preferably constructive.
JD
Time marches on and I for one,,,,
For more about empathy in empire building, SEE ELSEWHERE...
Hi James Doran - apologies but I don't understand the "key question". For example, what is the connection between empathy and being a follower?
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