22.04.21 - Lugano Philosophy Colloqium

The Paradox of Empathy

L. A. Paul (Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at Yale) - What is the Paradox of Empathy?

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    The talk will be chaired by Alain Pe-Curto (Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale)
     
    A commitment to truth requires that you are open to receiving new evidence even if that evidence contradicts your current beliefs. You should be open to changing your mind. However, this truism gives rise to the paradox of empathy. The paradox arises with the possibility of mental corruption through transformative change, and has consequences for how we should understand tolerance, disagreement, and the ability to have an open mind. I close with a discussion of how understanding this paradox provides a new explanation for a certain kind of standoff between the believer and the skeptic with regard to religious belief.
     
    This talk is part of the Lugano Philosophy Colloquia.
     
     

    How to attend

    The talk will be held both on Zoom and Facebook. To receive the link to the Zoom meeting, you can either send a message to the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/usimap or write an email to amm.map@usi.ch. Join us!