Paper #1 Assignment While empathy has a major subconscious impact on the effect of social interactions, the acting upon of such impulses can be perceived as emotional self gratification. The drive to understand and emulate emotions of those less fortunate, although being an impressive product of social evolution, highlights an innate desire to seek pleasure in performing acts of charity and can therefore be likened to a hedonistic pursuit. As Jeremy Rifkin states in The Empathic Civilisation, “The first drive is the drive to actually belong, it’s an empathic drive.” As a species, humankind has gone beyond the act of day-to-day survival, and that is owed to the sense of collective many feel living in a society. Empathizing creates a sense of …show more content…
Regardless of the situation, it is self-serving because of why a person is motivated to empathize and help others. For every contribution of resources made, e.g. time, money, services, there is a trade off of equal value for the contributor, that being a positive emotional response or social gain. Whether consciously or unconsciously, many perform acts of charities for moments of fulfilment and pride, which at its most basic is a form of hedonism. In times of disasters, tragedies, and accidents, people assimilate and allocate resources to helping those affected by it because they will gain just as much. Empathy is a psychobiological need to connect with others in strife, and by easing the other’s suffering, the pressure to alleviate their own feelings around the issue is resolved. In a civilization that encourages global aid, in societies that promote the “greater good”, empathy is a major force in the interactions between people, nature, and concepts. The ability to experience another’s sorrow personally as a means of connection provides complicated commentary on human nature. While an act of empathy can be considered selfless, it is the performer’s reasoning behind the action that defiles its purity through gain of social standing or psychological profit. Human nature acts solely on the basis of self-interest and empathy is merely another