How sharp is the compassion–sympathy distinction?

Published on October 26, 2024

Theorists and empiricists have long been concerned with the nature of empathy and its relatives, sympathy and compassion, which are all thought to have important roles in human (pro)sociality. Yet, the field continues to lack clear and distinct conceptualizations of these phenomena. In their recent thought-provoking article in TiCS [1], Gallagher et al. seek to lay out a clear concept of compassion in particular, and propose a pattern theory of compassion that ‘facilitates sharp conceptual distinctions among compassion, empathy, and sympathy’ ([1], p.

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