The Limits of Empathy - UXLibs8

Keynote presentation for the User Experience in Libraries conference in Cambridge, England. The talk explored 16 limitations of empathy and how two emotive capacities, curiosity and care, can augment those limitations. Presented on June 21, 2024.

Transcript

1. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 1 AND WHAT DESIGNERS CAN DO ABOUT THEM the limits of empathy Cassini Nazir Assistant Professor, University of North Texas June 12 · UX for Libraries 2024
2. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 2 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 In 1937 a young Walt was anxious about his first-ever feature animation…
3. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 3 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 …Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
4. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 4 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 No one had yet made a feature-length, 
 story-driven animated film. Critics were convinced it would fail.
5. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 5 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Disney had no idea how the audience would respond.
6. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 6 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Would this hand-drawn 88-minute film actually resonate?
7. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 7 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 The audience gasped at the opening shots of the queen's castle.
8. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 8 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 They hissed disapproval at the evil queen.
9. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 9 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Actors Clark Gable and Carol Lombard cried when Snow White died.
10. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 10 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Scared kids had to be carried screaming out of Radio City Music Hall.
11. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 11 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Why? The audience was so able to identify with the story, they felt similar feelings.
12. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 12 Topics we’ll explore. INTRODUCTION 5 Understand Empathy What is empathy? 
 Why is it valuable to design? 
 What can empathy actually do? empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Explore Empathy’s Limits What can empathy not do? Where are its boundaries? Two Emotive Capacities If empathy has limitations, 
 are there other emotive capacities that designers can use? 1 2 3
13. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 1.1 Empathy is often confused with other emotions. 1.2 Empathy sometimes has negative consequences. 1.3 Empathy opens us up to manipulation. 1.4 We are unreliable narrators of our experiences. 1.5 We can fall into the empathy trap. 1.6 Empathy can provide an illusion of understanding. 2.1 We spotlight empathy on whom we choose. 2.2 We snapshot people in time. 2.3 Empathic reasoning is biased. 3.1 Empathy can promote side-taking. 3.2 We can filter our empathy through others. 3.3 Empathic capacity for dissimilars is limited by imagination. 3.4 Neurotypical and neurodivergent empathy expressed differently. 4.1 Western empathy is primarily human-centered. 4.2 Empathy can fuel division in society. 4.3 Empathy is culturally embedded. self similars dissimilars society A summary of the limitations of empathy
14. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 14 We know many things about empathy… UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024
15. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 15 Empathy… UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 The Space Between: 
 How Empathy Really Works Heidi Maibom The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Empathy Heidi Maibom, editor Empathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives Amy Coplan and Peter Goldie, eds. The Anthropology of Empathy: Experiencing the Lives of Others in Pacific Societies Doug Hollan and Jason Throop Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for Caring and Justice
 Martin L. Hoffman Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and Th Principles of Screenwrit • Helps us take other’s perspectives • A way to show care and concern • Primarily human-to- human • Universal but also culturally different • Possibly a basis for human morals • Is the primary emo stories elicit
16. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 16 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Against Empath The Case for Rational Compa Paul Bloom tween: 
 Really The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Empathy Heidi Maibom, editor Empathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives Amy Coplan and Peter Goldie, eds. The Anthropology of Empathy: Experiencing the Lives of Others in Pacific Societies Doug Hollan and Jason Throop Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for Caring and Justice
 Martin L. Hoffman Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and The Principles of Screenwriting
 Robert McKee ake other’s es • A way to show care and concern • Primarily human-to- human • Universal but also culturally different • Possibly a basis for human morals • Is the primary emotion stories elicit • Is not a sing for good Empathy… UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
17. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 17 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion Paul Bloom The Dark Sides of Empathy Fritz Breithaupt cations ce
 Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and The Principles of Screenwriting
 Robert McKee s for • Is the primary emotion stories elicit • Is not a singular force for good • Causes definite problems in society Empathy… UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
18. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 18 Every word has an interesting origin story. empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 empathy Einfühlung state of emotion, 
 affected (by something) Edward Tichener ἐμπάθεια Ancient Greek prejudice, malevolence, malice, or hatred physical affection, 
 passion ἐμπαθής German, 1907 Modern Greek ἐμπάθεια English, 1909 Theodor Lipps feeling into feeling what another is feeling UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
19. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Most fields don’t place emphasis on empathy. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC 6 19
20. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 20 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Gaining empathy for users is widely considered a central task in design. empathize define ideate prototype test Empathy is the “centerpiece of 
 a human-centered design process” — Stanford d.school + IDEO Empathy a value that distinguishes design from the established cultures of sciences and humanities — Nigel Cross (1982)
21. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 21 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY bit.ly/farai2020 The Impossibility and Irrelevance of Empathy · Sekai Farai · UXRC2020
22. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 22 I approve of the spirit behind the introduction of empathy into design, but I believe the concept is impossible, and even if possible, wrong.” UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY “ https:/ /jnd.org/why-i-dont-believe-in-empathic-design
23. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 2023 proposal 23 4 Conclusion In trying to contribute to informing the discussion about empathy in the design community, we have recruited insights from philosophy and cognitive science, and highlighted which aspects of these are particularly relevant in rela- tion to design. The outcome of our exercise suggests that research on empathy in design has taken a reflexive stance toward the positive side of empathy for end-users. Therefore, for those seeking a parsimonious explanation of the ef- fect of empathy on the quality of design outcomes, the answer is that it is only positive. The predominantly positive reports about empathy in design with a lack of emphasis on drawbacks raise the concern that empathy may have become a design ideology rather than a principle that is appropriate in some situations and inappropriate under other circumstances. From what started as an objective to ensure that designs meet user desires and needs (Jones, 1970; Kouprie & Visser, 2009; Moore & Conn, 1985) and an agenda to raise the prominence of user experience and emotions with regard to human interactions with designed objects (Mattelm€ aki, Vaajakallio, & Koskinen, 2014), empathy in design has grown into an approach to the prac- tice of design in which the objective is for the mental states and imagination of the designer to match those of end-users (Kouprie & Visser, 2009; Mattelm€ aki et al., 2014). In other words, empathy has become an end rather than a means, which is where the interest in empathy began. As such, empathy in design has opened itself to a type of quarantine failure (Goldman, 2013). This article advances the perspective that design scholars and designers tend to skip two important steps in the application of empathy to design. The first is an ethical step: the choice to apply methods to gain empathy with end-users is an ethical decision. The empathy a designer can or cannot gain for end-users and their situations will determine what solutions the designer will end up deeming valuable or not valuable on behalf of end-users (Lloyd, 2009). The presence or absence of the designer’s own values during the process of gaining empathy will determine trade-offs and therefore the social impact of the design (Le Dantec & Do, 2009). The second step is perspectival and relates to embodi- ment. In order to take the affective perspective of another, the designer must also take the bodily perspective of the other. The inclusion of embodiment in design means designers ‘should be aware of how they are being affected at a bodily level’ (Finlay, 2005, p. 277) and not just at a mental level. Our view is that there is much to be gained theoretically and practically from ac- counting for embodiment in the process of developing empathy. It would offer additional explanatory power in the suitability of empathy in design. The concept of embodiment rests on the hypothesis of the body and mind be- ing closely related and influencing each other in various non-trivial ways (Glenberg, 2010; K€ orner & Strack, 2018). Embodiment in empathy 118 Design Studies Vol 65 No. C November 2019 To empathise or not to empathise? Empathy and its limits in design Ann Heylighen, KU Leuven, Dept. of Architecture, Research[x]Design, BE 3001, Leuven, Belgium Andy Dong, Oregon State University, School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering, Corvallis, OR, 97331-6001, USA In the 1980s, one of the values advanced to distinguish the field of design from the sciences and the humanities was empathy. Since then it has become an important theme in design practice, research, and education. Insights from philosophy and cognitive science, however, suggest that empathy has become a design ideology rather than a principle suitable for judging the value of design solutions in some situations e for some end-users and some aspects of their experience. When it is applied in design, two important steps tend to be skipped: an ethical and a perspectival one. Assessing its suitability, we hypothesise, has much to gain theoretically and practically from accounting for the role of embodiment in the process of developing empathy. Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: design cognition, empathy, ethics, psychology of design, user centred design Gaining empathy for end-users is generally considered a central task in design. In his 1982 article ‘Designerly ways of knowing’, Cross (1982) listed empathy as one of the ‘values’ that distinguish the e at that time e largely neglected ‘third culture’ of the field of design from the two already established ‘cultures’ of the sciences and the humanities, which had ‘long been recognised as dominating our social, cultural and educational systems’: ‘the values of each culture are.  in the sciences: objectivity, rationality, neutrality, and a concern for “truth”  in the humanities: subjectivity, imagination, commitment, and a concern for “justice”  in design: practicality, ingenuity, empathy [emphasis added], and a concern for “appropriateness”.’ Corresponding author: Ann Heylighen ann.heylighen@ kuleuven.be www.elsevier.com/locate/destud 0142-694X Design Studies 65 (2019) 107e124 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2019.10.007 107 Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Heylighen, A., and Dong, A. (2019). To empathise or not to empathise? Empathy and its limits in design. Design Studies, 65, 107–124.
24. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 2023 proposal 24 et al., 2014). In other words, empathy has become an end rather than a means, which is where the interest in empathy began. As such, empathy in design has opened itself to a type of quarantine failure (Goldman, 2013). This article advances the perspective that design scholars and designers tend to skip two important steps in the application of empathy to design. The first is an ethical step: the choice to apply methods to gain empathy with end-users is an ethical decision. The empathy a designer can or cannot gain for end-users and their situations will determine what solutions the designer will end up deeming valuable or not valuable on behalf of end-users (Lloyd, 2009). The presence or absence of the designer’s own values during the process of gaining empathy will determine trade-offs and therefore the social impact of the design (Le Dantec & Do, 2009). The second step is perspectival and relates to embodi- ment. In order to take the affective perspective of another, the designer must also take the bodily perspective of the other. The inclusion of embodiment in design means designers ‘should be aware of how they are being affected at a bodily level’ (Finlay, 2005, p. 277) and not just at a mental level. Our view is that there is much to be gained theoretically and practically from ac- counting for embodiment in the process of developing empathy. It would offer additional explanatory power in the suitability of empathy in design. The concept of embodiment rests on the hypothesis of the body and mind be- ing closely related and influencing each other in various non-trivial ways (Glenberg, 2010; K€ orner & Strack, 2018). Embodiment in empathy 118 Design Studies Vol 65 No. C November 2019 1 2
25. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Take a moment to define each word. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 empathy compassion sympathy pity ignorance
26. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Pair with someone and compare notes. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 empathy compassion sympathy pity ignorance
27. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Pair with someone and compare notes. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 ignorance Lack of knowledge 
 I just don’t know. pity Kindly sorrow evoked by another’s suffering 
 I felt pity at my mate’s definition. sympathy Appreciating another’s feeling 
 Sorry to hear that. compassion Drive to act based on appreciating or feeling another’s feeling 
 Let me help you with that. empathy Vicariously feeling what 
 another feels 
 I know what that’s like.
28. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 28 1. “The tendency to vicariously experience other individuals’ emotional states ...an emotional response that is focused more on another person’s situation or emotion than on one’s one ... [which] can be either identical to or congruent with that of the other person involved.” Albiero et al. (2009, p. 393) 2. “The act of perceiving, understanding, experiencing, and responding to the emotional state and ideas of another person.” Barker (2008, p. 141) 3. “A cognitive and emotional understanding of another’s experience, resulting in an emotional response that is congruent with a view that others are worthy of compassion and respect and have intrinsic worth.” Barnett & Mann (2013, p. 230) 4. “The drive or ability to attribute mental states to another person/animal, and entails an appropriate affective response in the observer to the other person’s mental state.” Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright (2004, p. 168) 5. “An other oriented emotional response elicited by and congruent with the perceived welfare of someone else.” Batson et al. (2005, p. 486) 6. “The other-focused, congruent emotion produced by witnessing another person’s suffering involves such feelings as sympathy, compassion, softheartedness, and tenderness.” Batson, Fultz, & Schoenrade (1987, p. 20) 7. “A way to grasp the feelings and meanings of the client.” Clark (2010, p. 95) 8. “The ability to understand and share in another’s emotional state or context.’’ Cohen & Strayer (1996, p. 988) 9. “The capacity to understand and enter into another person’s feelings and emotions or to experience something from the other person’s point of view.” Colman (2009, p. 248) 10. “A complex imaginative process through which an observer simulates another person’s situated psychological states while maintaining clear self–other differentiation.” Coplan (2011, p. 40) 11. “A reaction to the observed experiences of another.” Davis (1983, p. 114) 12. “A set of constructs having to do with the responses of one individual to the experiences of another. These constructs specifically include the processes taking place within the observer and the affective and non-affective outcomes which result from those processes.” Davis (1996, p. 12) 13. “A sense of similarity between the feelings one experiences and those expressed by others.” Decety & Lamm (2006, p. 1146) 14. “The ability to experience and understand what others feel without confusion between oneself and others.” Decety & Lamm (2006, p. 1146) 15. “The ability to appreciate the emotions of others with a minimal distinction between self and other.” Decety & Michalska (2010, p. 886) 16. “The capacity to share and understand emotional states of others in reference to oneself.” Decety & Moriguchi (2007, p. 22) 17. “The imaginative transposing of oneself into the thinking, feeling and acting of another and so structuring the world as he does.” Dymond (1949, p. 127) 18. “An affective response that stems from the comprehension of another’s emotional state or condition, which is identical or very similar to the other’s emotion, or what would be expected to feel.” Eisenberg, Fabes, & Spinrad (2006, p. 647) 19. “A match between the affective responses of a perceiver and that of a stimulus person.... [definitions] must take into account both cognitive and affective factors.” Feshbach (1975, p. 26) 20. “The ability to perceive another person’s point-of-view, experience the emotions of another and behave compassionately.” Geer, Estupinan, & Manguno-Mire (2000, p. 101) 21. “A sort of ‘mimicking’ of one person’s affective state by that of another.” Goldman (1993, p. 351) 22. “An affective state, caused by sharing of the emotions or sensory states of another person.” Hein & Singer (2008, p. 154) 23. “An affective response more appropriate to another’s situation than one’s own.” Hoffman (2000, p. 4) 24. “The act of constructing for oneself another’s mental state.” Hogan (1969, p. 308) 25. “A complex form of psychological inference in which observation, memory, knowledge, and reasoning are combined to yield insights into the thoughts and feelings of others.” Ickes (1997, p. 2) 26. “The tendency to apprehend another person’s condition or state of mind.” Johnson, Cheek, & Smither (1983, p. 1299) 27. “Sharing another’s feelings by placing oneself psychologically in that person’s circumstance.” Lazarus (1994, p. 287) 28. “The capacities to resonate with another person’s emotions, understand his/her thoughts and feelings, separate our own thoughts and emotions from those of the observed and responding with the appropriate prosocial and helpful behaviour.” Oliveira-Silva & Gonçalves (2011, p. 201) 29. “The experience of sympathetic emotions and concern for another person in distress.” Pavey, Greitemeyer, & Sparks (2012, p. 681) 30. “The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.” Pease (1995, p. 202) 31. “The ability to anticipate and share others’ emotional states.” Pelligra (2011, p. 170) 32. “A shared emotional experience occurring when one person (the subject) comes to feel a similar emotion to another (the object) as a result of perceiving the other’s state.” Preston (2007, p. 428) 33. “Subject’s state results from the attended perception of the object’s state” Preston & de Waal (2002, p. 4) 34. “To perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components and meanings which pertain thereto as if one were the person, but without ever losing the ‘as if’ condition.” Rogers (1975, p. 2) 35. “An affective response to the directly perceived, imagined, or inferred feeling state of another being.” Singer & Lamm (2009, p. 82) 36. “A distinction between oneself and others and an awareness that one is vicariously feeling with someone but that this is not one’s own emotion.” Singer & Steinbeis (2009, p. 43) 37. “An ability to understand another person’s perspective plus a visceral or emotional reaction.” Smith (1759, cited by Marshall et al., 1995, p. 100) 38. “A category of emotional responses that are felt on behalf of others.” Stocks et al. (2011, p. 3) 39. “An observer reacting emotionally because he perceives that another is experiencing or about to experience an emotion.” Stotland et al. (1978, p. 12) 40. “A process of humanizing objects, of reading or feeling ourselves into them.” Titchener (1909, cited by Duan & Hill, 1996, p. 261) 41. “A basically passive process of information gathering.” Van der Weele (2011, p. 586) 42. “The attempt by one self-aware self to comprehend unjudgmentally the positive and negative experiences of another self.” Wispé (1986, p. 318) 43. “A basic, irreducible, form of intentionality that is directed towards the experiences of others.” Zahavi (2008, p. 517) Cuff et al. (2014). Empathy: A Review of the Concept. 
 https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073914558466 There is no set definition of empathy. Cuff et al. identify 40+ definitions.
29. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 29 cognitive empathy THINKING ABOUT mentalizing understand others better communicate UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Empathy has many different meanings.
30. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 30 emotional empathy SHARING experience sharing personal distress builds connections cognitive empathy THINKING ABOUT mentalizing understand others better communicate UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Empathy has many different meanings.
31. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 31 emotional empathy SHARING experience sharing personal distress builds connections empathic concern CARING ABOUT empathic concern compassion helps us take action cognitive empathy THINKING ABOUT mentalizing understand others better communicate UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Empathy has many different meanings.
32. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 32 emotional empathy SHARING experience sharing personal distress builds connections empathic concern CARING ABOUT empathic concern compassion helps us take action cognitive empathy THINKING ABOUT mentalizing understand others better communicate motor empathy IMITATING mirror bodily position mimic language and tone gateway to other empathies UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Empathy has many different meanings.
33. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 33 emotional empathy SHARING empathic concern CARING ABOUT cognitive empathy THINKING ABOUT motor empathy IMITATING pity sympathy disinterest annoyance ignorance anger surprise disgust outrage happiness UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY dyspathy acceptance apathy recalcitrance bitterness vulnerability Empathy has many different meanings and a spectrum of possibilities.
34. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 1.1 Empathy is often confused with other emotions. 1.2 Empathy sometimes has negative consequences. 1.3 Empathy opens us up to manipulation. 1.4 We are unreliable narrators of our experiences. 1.5 We can fall into the empathy trap. 1.6 Empathy can provide an illusion of understanding. 2.1 We spotlight empathy on whom we choose. 2.2 We snapshot people in time. 2.3 Empathic reasoning is biased. 3.1 Empathy can promote side-taking. 3.2 We can filter our empathy through others. 3.3 Empathic capacity for dissimilars is limited by imagination. 3.4 Neurotypical and neurodivergent empathy expressed differently. 4.1 Western empathy is primarily human-centered. 4.2 Empathy can fuel division in society. 4.3 Empathy is culturally embedded. self similars dissimilars society This is the first lesson about empathy. It is easily confused.
35. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 35 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Singer, P. (1981). The Expanding Circle. Oxford. Self Local community Nation All humans All mammals All living things All things Family Peter Singer’s moral circle explores ethical considerations.
36. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 36 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Centrifugal Forces Compassion, fairness and equality concerns, prejudge aversion, utilitarian principles Graham, J., et al. (2017). Centripetal and centrifugal forces in the moral circle. Cognition, 167, 58–65. centrum + fugio = center-fleeing Peter Singer’s moral circle explores ethical considerations.
37. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 37 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Centripetal Forces Familial attachment, ingroup loyalty, scarcity concerns, principles of duty to close others Graham, J., et al. (2017). Centripetal and centrifugal forces in the moral circle. Cognition, 167, 58–65. centrum + petere = center-seeking Peter Singer’s moral circle explores ethical considerations.
38. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Self Local community Nation All humans All mammals All living things All things Family 38 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Centripetal Forces Familial attachment, ingroup loyalty, scarcity concerns, principles of duty to close others Centrifugal Forces Compassion, fairness and equality concerns, prejudge aversion, utilitarian principles Graham, J., et al. (2017). Centripetal and centrifugal forces in the moral circle. Cognition, 167, 58–65. centrum + fugio = center-fleeing centrum + petere = center-seeking Peter Singer’s moral circle explores ethical considerations.
39. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 39 5 self similars dissimilars society A simplified version of Singer’s moral circle yields four categories. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024
40. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 40 5 Our empathy changes across four categories. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self similars dissimilars society empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024
41. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 41 5 Our empathy changes across four categories. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY similars dissimilars society self The individual’s capacity to empathize and their inherent vulnerabilities. empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024
42. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 42 self The individual’s capacity to empathize and their inherent vulnerabilities. 5 Our empathy changes across four categories. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY similars dissimilars society Those with traits, interests, experiences or identities matching the individual. empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024
43. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 43 The individual’s capacity to empathize and their inherent vulnerabilities. Those with traits, interests, experiences or identities matching the individual. self empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 Our empathy changes across four categories. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY similars dissimilars society Those with traits, interests, experiences or identities different from the individual.
44. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 44 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 Our empathy changes across four categories. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY society The individual’s flawed conceptualization of the world, society and culture. self The individual’s capacity to empathize and their inherent vulnerabilities. Those with traits, interests, experiences or identities matching the individual. Those with traits, interests, experiences or identities different from the individual. similars dissimilars
45. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 45 Will Graham (from the TV show Hannibal) has a remarkable empathic ability.
46. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 46 He can sense and interpret the feelings and motives of others.
47. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 47 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY 1.2 Empathy can have negative consequences. Marceau’s The Maskmasker shows us that empathy can have an emotional burden. Marceau, M. The Maskmaker. 1975.
48. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 48 THIS IS WHAT I’M REALLY FEELING I’D RATHER YOU 
 NOT KNOW IT’S MY INNERMOST THOUGHTS UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Being continually in tune with others can be exhausting.
49. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW 
 I’M BETTER OFF ON MY OWN NO ONE APPRECIATES HOW HARD I WORK 49 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY DON’T BE VULNERABLE YOU’LL JUST GET HURT WHEN WILL THEY FIND OUT I’M
 NOT GOOD AT MY JOB? I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH I’M 
 SCARED OF GETTING OLD WHY DO THEY TREAT ME LIKE THAT? I’M SUCH AN IDIOT We can’t empathize with everyone…
50. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 DON’T BE VULNERABLE YOU’LL JUST GET HURT MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW 
 I’M BETTER OFF ON MY OWN NO ONE APPRECIATES HOW HARD I WORK 50 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH I’M 
 OF GETTING OLD WHY DO THEY TREAT ME LIKE THAT? I’M SUCH AN IDIOT WHEN WILL THEY FIND OUT I’M
 NOT GOOD AT MY JOB? …so we spotlight on only one or two people.
51. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 51 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 self similars dissimilars society The spotlight effect shines brightest on similars. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY shines brightest 2.1 We spotlight empathy
 on whom we choose.
52. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 52 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 5 self similars dissimilars society And dims on dissimilars and society. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY dimmer further out 2.1 We spotlight empathy
 on whom we choose.
53. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 2023 proposal Massive Attack x Young Fathers. Eutopia (2022).
54. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 54 self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. intersects here UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
55. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 55 self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. never touches UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
56. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 56 self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. never touches UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
57. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 57 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. B C A D
58. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 58 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. perspective more informed by self than others B A
59. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 59 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. perspective informed more by others than self C D
60. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 60 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others Empathy between self and others is asymptotic. perspective informed more by others than self C D perspective more informed by self than others B A
61. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 61 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
62. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 62 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY Empathy’s configuration changes depending on who the other is. people similar to you people dissimilar to you self other self other Common mental models Shared expressions Similar modes of communication Different mental models Dissimilar expressions Fractured modes of communication self
63. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 63 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
64. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Activity. WHAT IS CURIOSITY? 64 Your perspective 
 depends on 
 the angle of view Reflection In action
65. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 65 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others True empathy takes time. B C A D hours days months years decades lifetime
66. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 66 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others Empathy is a skill that can grow. Not simply a trait you have or don’t. B C A D hours days months years decades lifetime
67. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 67 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others B C A D hours days months years decades lifetime Empathy is a skill that can grow. Not simply a trait you have or don’t. original capacity
68. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 68 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY self others Our empathic capacity can also shrink. B C A D hours days months years decades lifetime original capacity
69. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 69 UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY
70. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 1.6 Empathy can provide an illusion of understanding. people similar to you people dissimilar to you self other self other I get it.
71. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Empathy can be measured. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 “Scores above 30 generally do not 
 indicate an Autism Spectrum disorder.” “Scores above 45 are indicative of 
 above average empathy levels.” “Indicates a high level of empathy” 50 out of 64 50 out of 80 95 out of 110 Empathy Quotient (EQ) Toronto Empathy Questionnaire Greater Good Empathy Quiz
72. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 72 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 Damian Milton describes The Double Empathy Problem Images by Softscape from Noun Project
 Both struggle to understand each other’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors and differences. Neurodiverse person Neurotypical person 

73. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 73 empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 The Double Empathy Problem EMPATHIC REASONING Images by Softscape from Noun Project
 Both struggle to understand each other’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors and differences. • Read between the lines • Dispel misconceptions • Manage sensory distractions Neurodiverse person may struggle to: Neurotypical person 
 may struggle to: • Form positive first impressions • Recognize their misconceptions • Understand sensory difficulties Neurodiverse person Neurotypical person 

74. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 74 WHAT IS CURIOSITY? We examined a few limitations. 1.1 Empathy is often confused with other emotions. 1.2 Empathy sometimes has negative consequences. 1.3 Empathy opens us up to manipulation. 1.4 We are unreliable narrators of our experiences. 1.5 We can fall into the empathy trap. 1.6 Empathy can provide an illusion of understanding. 2.1 We spotlight empathy on whom we choose. 2.2 We snapshot people in time. 2.3 Empathic reasoning is biased. 3.1 Empathy can promote side-taking. 3.2 We can filter our empathy through others. 3.3 Empathic capacity for dissimilars is limited by imagination. 3.4 Neurotypical and neurodivergent empathy expressed differently. 4.1 Western empathy is primarily human-centered. 4.2 Empathy can fuel division in society. 4.3 Empathy is culturally embedded. self similars dissimilars society
75. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 75 Gain more empathy with these techniques. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 • Practice active listening. • Share in other people’s joy. • Look for commonalities with others. • Read fiction. • Pay attention to faces. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/empathy
76. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 76 WHAT IS CURIOSITY? “I’d like to know you more and design with you.” “I know enough about you to design for you.” THIS SOUNDS LIKE THIS SOUNDS LIKE Empathy alone is not enough for 21st century problems.
77. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 What do these four things have in common? WHAT IS CURIOSITY? “I’m looking /
 And feeling Minnesota” Outshined by Soundgarden 77
78. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Robert California (played by David Spader) “I’m looking California / And feeling Minnesota” Outshined by Soundgarden What do these four things have in common? They are nouns. WHAT IS CURIOSITY? California Ferrari California California look 78
79. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Robert California (played by David Spader) “I’m looking California / And feeling Minnesota” Outshined by Soundgarden person place thing idea I can empathize with… ⬤ What do these four things have in common? They are nouns. WHAT IS CURIOSITY? California Ferrari California California look 79
80. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Our modern mindset affords us empathy for only living beings. WHAT IS CURIOSITY? “We think of empathy as an intimate, feeling- based understanding of another’s inner life. We do not think of it as a way of understanding inanimate objects.” — Gregory Currie 6 Empathy for Objects1 Gregory Currie We think of empathy as an intimate, feeling-based understanding of another’s inner life. We do not think of it as a way of understanding inanimate objects. Yet a century ago, talk of empathy for objects would have seemed very natural; it was the theme of a group of thinkers whose writings helped to found the notion of empathy itself. They were particularly interested in empathy as a means of attending to the aesthetic properties of things. That earlier programme will be my starting point, and I’ll call the participants in it the Empathists. I will move on quickly to see what light can be shed on their idea of empathy for objects by current research in the sciences of mind. I identify a class of processes which, I claim, underlie empathy for objects as well as personal empathy; these processes are often called simulative in a special sense that I will try to explain. I then have two questions to which I seek answers of at least a preliminary sort. What sort of access to worldly things, including artworks, are we given by these simulative processes; is it, in particular, a perceptual form of access? Second, what role if any does conscious awareness of these processes play in our aesthetic encounters with things? 6.1 Einfühlung The work of the Empathists has now largely disappeared from view, and the contem- porary research which supports some of its claims owes little to it.2 In some respects it 1 Versions of this paper were read to the Claremont Philosophy Colloquium at Pitzer College, and at conferences and colloquia at the Universities of Barcelona, Durham, Geneva, Illinois Urbana-Champagne, Nottingham, and Otago. Aaron Meskin, Jerome Singer, and Kathleen Stock commented on the paper at Durham and I am grateful for their criticisms and suggestions. Thanks also to Noe ¨l Carroll, Paul Harris, Henry Kripps, Patrizia Lombardo, Michele Miozzo, Margaret Moore, Kevin Mulligan, Jenefer Robinson, and Kendall Walton. Comments from Rae Langton brought about some late changes to Section 2, while Matthew Kennedy and Murray Smith were especially helpful in formulating the claims of Section 3. Discussions with Michael Mack helped me to find my way through some of the history. 2 Kevin Mulligan brought to my attention Melchior Pala ´gyi, an intriguing figure whose work, contem- porary with that of the Empathists but not so far as I know related to it, is suggestive of the direction empirical work has subsequently taken. William Boyce Gibson wrote an appreciative, two-part account of Pala ´gyi’s work, the second part of which describes his theory of the imagination (1928). 80
81. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 “I’m looking California / And feeling Minnesota” Outshined by Soundgarden person place thing idea I can empathize with… ⬤ I can be curious about… ⬤ ⬤ ⬤ ⬤ I can care for… ⬤ ⬤ ⬤ ⬤ We tend to empathize only with people. Curiosity and care are more versatile. WHAT IS CURIOSITY? Robert California (played by David Spader) California Ferrari California California look 81
82. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 Coaxing curiosity to come forward is challenging. 82 Huh? Hmm...
83. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 83
84. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 invitation 84
85. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 challenge delay hide humor novelty obscure playfulness perceptual sensory tease invitation trust approaches elicits emotions anticipation awe distraction frustration interest reflection splendor inquisitiveness speculation wonder 85
86. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 invitation response 86 trust
87. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 invitation response inflection 87 trust
88. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 surprise invitation response reward 88 trust
89. UNT + SignifyHealth The Inviting Curiosity framework has been central to various projects… Prototype an exhibit for the ASTRO-1 space mission Building trust during in-home health evalutions Lengthen the driving years for elders
90. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 invitation response reward 90 surprise trust
91. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 91 response accepted reward joy + connection invitation playfulness inquisitiveness → surprise trust
92. front Lend or borrow curiosity: Curious Bookmark ARTIFACTS FROM CURIOSITY 92 Works like any bookmark.
93. front Lend or borrow curiosity: Curious Bookmark ARTIFACTS FROM CURIOSITY 93 Works like any bookmark.
94. Lend or borrow curiosity: Curious Bookmark ARTIFACTS FROM CURIOSITY 94 Works like any bookmark. front back I’m curious about I’m curious about
95. Lend or borrow curiosity: Curious Bookmark ARTIFACTS FROM CURIOSITY 95 Loose-leaf sheets allow you to capture what made you curious in the book you’re reading. I’m curious about I’m curious about Works like any bookmark.
96. Lend or borrow curiosity: Curious Bookmark ARTIFACTS FROM CURIOSITY 96 I’m curious about I’m curious about Loose-leaf sheets allow you to capture what made you curious in the book you’re reading. Works like any bookmark.
97. Lend or borrow curiosity: Curious Bookmark ARTIFACTS FROM CURIOSITY 97 Leave it behind and lend your curiosity to others. I’m curious about I’m curious about Loose-leaf sheets allow you to capture what made you curious in the book you’re reading. Works like any bookmark.
98. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 98 Kettlebells for curiosity. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024
99. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 99 Kettlebells for curiosity. UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY empathy and its limits · ux libs 2024 • Try using the phrase • Try using “else” • Ask more frequently • Change meeting agendas to questions. Tell me more. What else? How else? What surprised you? Why else?
100. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 WHAT IS CURIOSITY? 100 Care and curiosity are linguistically rooted. curius Old French (1000s) curioso Spanish curioso Italian (1300S) full of care or pains, careful, assiduous, inquisitive cūriōsus Latin (300s) curious Modern English coryous, corious, 
 curiuse, curiyus Middle English (1500s) cura Latin Care, concern, means of healing (cure) "curious, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2021. “ “ “ “
101. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 “Only brush the teeth you want to keep.” 101
102. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 102 “ Human-centered design is not the answer to our problems but is itself 
 part of the problem.” — Ron Wakkary Human-centered 
 design More than
 human-centered 
 design
103. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 103 : , of design decision-making well in mind. Because we now operate in a globalized state of culture, design needs to seek new territories to off- set the relentless uniformity derived from our current cycle of mass culture/consumption. As defined here, care cannot follow trends that become out-dated after a short time, and therefore reflects a profound evolution in our vision and perception of the world and our way of inhabiting it. Because our universe has become a territo- ry, all dimensions of which may be traveled both in time and space, it is only with care that design can make contributions towards the maintenance of a stable environment and sensible material situation worldwide. Further, design needs to take as much care as possible as it evolves its educational and professional practices because it can now only try to make sense from journeying through a chaotic and undisciplined ecology layered with non-essentials. It must be stressed that care is not a service product designed primarily to be served. Like design, the purpose of care is to affect the way we live. In our increas- ingly population-aging world, within which we are about to cross a demographic landmark of huge social and economic importance—the proportion of the global population aged 65 years and over is set to outnumber the population of children under five years of age for the first time—how we design and care for unprecedented numbers of pensioners and retirees will bring with it huge challenges for policy- makers, designers, healthcare providers, and families. ³⁴ There will be more than 1 billion people living in the world who will have effectively aged out of its workforce by 2040. With care, however, design can play a major role in transforming how health and social care looks and feels for many of these people. Working collaboratively, designers, to- 34 National Institute on Aging. Global Health and Aging, Washington D.C., USA: National Institute on Aging and National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011. 29 projects of the user and designer. The phenomenon of fashion points to new possibilities for the notion of usability, wherein people might now have to craft their own personalized and customized world. ³³ 08 Design with Care With the failure of the structural mega-programs of the twentieth century, there is a need to transgress frigid technological perfection into genial ecological possibilities, and this has to be done with care. In this context, care refers to designing with the macro and micro social, technological, economic, environmental and political effects 32 Bateson, G. Steps to an Ecology of Mind. New York, NY, USA: Ballantine Books, 1972. 33 Bremner, C. “Usability.” In Design Dictionary: Perspectives on Design Terminology, edited by T. Marshall & M. Erlhoff, pgs. 425-428. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser, 2008. Dialectic Volume I, Issue I: Theoretical Speculation The Concept Of The Design Discipline . ¹ ² 1. Imagination, Lancaster University, 2. Charles Sturt University, School of Creative Industries, Australia : Rodgers, P.A., & Bremner, C. “The Concept of the Design Discipline.” Dialectic, 1.1 (2016): pgs. 19-38. : http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/dialectic.14932326.0001.104 Abstract In their previous work, the authors have demonstrated that the discipline of design has been su- perseded by a condition where conventionally set design disciplines have dissolved. ¹²³ In this age where design is typified by fluid, evolving patterns of practice that regularly traverse, transcend and transfigure historical disciplinary and conceptual boundaries, the authors have argued that globalization and the proliferation of the digital has resulted in connections that are no longer ‘amid,’ cannot be measured ‘across,’ nor encompass a ‘whole’ system. In short, this ‘disciplinary turn’ has generated an ‘other’ dimension—an alternative disciplinarity. ⁴ Moreover, this reliance on the ‘exhausted’ historic disciplines has become obsolete as the boundaries of our understand- ing have been superseded by a boundless space/time that we call ‘alterplinarity.’ ⁵ The fragmenta- tion of distinct disciplines has shifted creative practice from being ‘discipline-based’ to ‘issue- or project-based.’ ⁶ Consequently, this paper presents a manifesto for the future design discipline that emphasizes disposing carefully of what you know, teaching what you do not know whilst al- ways taking design seriously, protecting us from what we want, objecting to sustaining everything, designing without reproach, ensuring that objects are invisible but designed with care and within history whilst exploring design as an idea rather than an ideal. 1 Rodgers, P.A. & Bremner, C. “Alterplinarity—‘Alternative Disciplinarity,’ in Future Art and Design Research Pur- suits.” Studies in Material Thinking, 6 (2011). 2 Rodgers, P.A. & Bremner, C. “Exhausting Discipline: Undisciplined and Irresponsible Design.” Architecture and Culture, 1.1 (2013): pgs. 138-158. 3 Ibid. 4 Rodgers, P.A. & Bremner, C. “Alterplinarity—‘Alternative Disciplinarity,’ in Future Art and Design Research Pur- suits.” Studies in Material Thinking, 6 (2011). 5 Rodgers, P.A. & Bremner, C. “Exhausting Discipline: Undisciplined and Irresponsible Design.” Architecture and Culture, 1.1 (2013): pgs. 138-158. 6 Heppell, S. “RSA Lectures: Stephen Heppell: Learning 2016,”RSA Lectures, 30 June, 2006. Online. Available at: http://www.teachers.tv/video/4957 (Accessed December 22, 2010). Copyright © 2016, Dialectic and the Design Educators Community ( ).All rights reserved. Rodgers, P.A., & Bremner, C. “The Concept of the Design Discipline.” Dialectic, 1.1 (2016): pgs. 19-38. “ Care refers to designing with the macro and micro social, technological, economic, environmental and political effects of design decision-making well in mind.” — Rodgers and Bremner
104. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 “Only brush the teeth you want to keep.” 104 Only care for the planets you wish to keep.
105. 105 My father took me to a library every other Saturday. I spent ~month there yearly. CURIOSITY IN PRACTICE
106. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 106 Luxor, Egypt We end with a non-fiction story.
107. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 107 Pharoah Ramesses II had a mortuary temple built (13th century BCE) …
108. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 108 https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/1C*.html …known as the Ramesseum. Diodorus Siculus describes this famous library:
109. the dangers of empathy · advancing research 3 109 https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/1C*.html Place of Care for the Soul.” — Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica 49.3 Next comes the sacred library, 
 which bears the inscription ψυχῆς ἰατρείον “ It is no surprise that a place of words and texts can be considered a healing place.
110. 1.1 Empathy is often confused with other emotions. 1.2 Empathy sometimes has negative consequences. 1.3 Empathy opens us up to manipulation. 1.4 We are unreliable narrators of our experiences. 1.5 We can fall into the empathy trap. 1.6 Empathy can provide an illusion of understanding. 2.1 We spotlight empathy on whom we choose. 2.2 We snapshot people in time. 2.3 Empathic reasoning is biased. 3.1 Empathy can promote side-taking. 3.2 We can filter our empathy through others. 3.3 Empathic capacity for dissimilars is limited by imagination. 3.4 Neurotypical and neurodivergent empathy expressed differently. 4.1 Western empathy is primarily human-centered. 4.2 Empathy can fuel division in society. 4.3 Empathy is culturally embedded. Learn more at unknowing.design Cassini Nazir Assistant Professor University of North Texas cassini@unt.edu self similars dissimilars society