6 degrees of empathy

[Babs]

Any Hitlers on the board?

http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/EmpathyQuotient/EmpathyQuotient.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/sc...ibks.html?_r=1

[Blueintheface]

I scored a 43 and to be honest I think that's a bit low for how I view myself. Maybe it's more inline with how other people perceive me?

I enjoyed that article though. I have a nephew with Aspergers and I teach a child in Primary who is also in the autistic spectrum. I could see how including sufferers as 'non-empathetic' could raise some eyebrows but he's right on the money IMO. In fact by clarifying that they are in fact supermoral rather than immoral he effectively demonstrates that it's quite possible that negative environmental factors can cause an otherwise autistic individual to become "evil".

I liked this quote.

...He cites the example of a Nazi guard who forced a boy to put a noose around his friend’s neck as “cruelty for its own sake.” But rather than zero degrees of empathy, it seems instead that the guard possessed six degrees of anti-empathy: The guard acted in the cruelest way he could think of, fully understanding how devastating the act would be to both boys.

It's that understanding that makes the argument of anti-empathy so compelling. I can't say that I take the same stand on the punishment of those in this spectrum but that was an interesting read.

[Jacob]

I scored pretty low. Not quite Asbergers low. How low was Mother Theresa? That fraud.

[thesaint258]

I got a 23. That explains a lot.

[Katy Lied]

This doesnt explain how a psychopath like Ted Bundy, who allegedly had no empathy at all, yet could brilliantly manipulate others in conversation and relationships because he knew that other people felt a concern for each other. He didn't feel it, but he observed how others acted under the influence of empathy, and he could imitate their empathetic behavior at will. This is why he could be so charming.

Ted Bundy would probably ace this test and score very high. I scored 58, and it was easy to tell which questions I should probably answer which way to score empathetically well. (Not that I did respond disengenuously).

[old_gregg]

This doesnt explain how a psychopath like Ted Bundy, who allegedly had no empathy at all, yet could brilliantly manipulate others in conversation and relationships because he knew that other people felt a concern for each other. He didn't feel it, but he observed how others acted under the influence of empathy, and he could imitate their empathetic behavior at will. This is why he could be so charming.

Ted Bundy would probably ace this test and score very high. I scored 58, and it was easy to tell which questions I should probably answer which way to score empathetically well. (Not that I did respond disengenuously).

isn't this the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath? it was my understanding that a psychopath was conscious of their ability to not internalize guilt/feel empathy, whereas a sociopath was not. psychopaths have a much easier time living within and manipulating these feelings, whereas sociopaths often marginalize themselves with their behavior. (this could all be completely wrong, and the result of my misunderstanding)

[Katy Lied]

isn't this the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath? it was my understanding that a psychopath was conscious of their ability to not internalize guilt/feel empathy, whereas a sociopath was not. psychopaths have a much easier time living within and manipulating these feelings, whereas sociopaths often marginalize themselves with their behavior. (this could all be completely wrong, and the result of my misunderstanding)

you know, I dont know. Im sure others know more. I'd like to think that what we have here is the case of differing degrees of non-empathy (what this author is saying) but while he draws a line from empathetic to evil, maybe it is a two-part process. The first part is where you stand on the empathy scale, which, for belief systems based on the golden rule, is your conscience. The second part is how closely you live your life accordingb to your moral compass, or your conscience. Some of us know exactly what is "right" according to an empathetic perspective, but could care less about matching our actions to what we know should be the right thing, Others (including aspergers) know less instinctively what is the correct empathetic action to take, but cling much closer to what they feel is correct empathy (call it proto empathy). Now we have an important distinction between Hitler and someone who has aspergers. Evil can be found in the distance between conscience and actions, not in the variation between different empathies.

[myboynoah]

36

What did Hitler score?

[Borderline Divine]

45. Does this score make my butt look big?

[il Padrino Ute]

I scored a 12. Apparently, by brutal honesty and lack of empathy is not appreciated by whomever came up with the test.

[Borderline Divine]

I scored a 12. Apparently, by brutal honesty and lack of empathy is not appreciated by whomever came up with the test.

Frankly I'm surprised you made double digits.

[LA Ute]

I scored a 43 and to be honest I think that's a bit low for how I view myself.

I just want you to know I understand. Because I got a 62.

[il Padrino Ute]

Frankly I'm surprised you made double digits.

The beauty is that I don't care about my score.

[LA Ute]

The beauty is that I don't care about my score.

I think I know how you feel.

[Non Sequitur]

The beauty is that I don't care about my score.

I got a 27. Welcome to the club.