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empathy-and-morality

It emphasizes empathy as a foundational moral capacity that transcends dogmatic religion and supports a more authentic, global ethical consciousness.

1 chapter across 1 book

Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis (2009)Jeremy Rifkin

CHAPTER 5: RETHINKING THE MEANING OF THE HUMAN JOURNEY

Chapter 5 critically examines the evolution of human self-understanding from the Middle Ages through modernity, highlighting the shift from a faith-based to a reason-based worldview epitomized by Descartes’ cogito. It challenges the Cartesian separation of reason and emotion by drawing on contemporary neuroscience and philosophy, emphasizing the embodied and plural nature of the self. The chapter also explores the implications of these shifts for rethinking human progress, empathy, and moral consciousness in the context of global crises.