Decety: A Whole New Side to Empathy

Decety focused his attention in his article on empathy, a topic we also discussed in our cognitive neuroscience class. What intrigued me about his ideas was that he said empathy was evolutionary, something I had never thought of when talking about empathy before. This was further elaborated on when the idea that empathy was more focused on survival rather then altruistic, or an act that was beneficial to the recipient at the cost of the one providing it. Decety even tied this in with parenting. One would believe that parenting, in most cases, was altruistic in every way. However, Decety describes parenting as rewarding to the parents as well. This reward for the parents further proves his idea that empathy is more rooted in survival and evolution. Every other discussion I have had on empathy never portrayed it in this light, and it was different for me.

I am not quite sure whether I agree with Decety in that aspect, I would have to do more research. However, even if it were true that empathy was more rooted in survival than anything else, it still plays a vital role in life today. It helps keep peace, helps us connect with people and help them through hard times, and leads to a better understanding of other people’s lives.