Virtuous Empathy: Scientific and Humanistic Investigations

Indiana University received a grant from the University of Chicago (sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation) to study "Virtuous Empathy: Scientific and Humanistic Investigations" from fall 2010 to spring 2012. Richard B. Miller, Poynter Center director, is the PI for the project. Additional support came from the IU Institute for Advanced Study, directed by John Bodnar, the IU Office for the Vice Provost for Research, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Empathy Home | Grant | Project | Participants | Post-Doc & Dissertation Fellow | Public Lectures | 2011 Symposium

Empathy: Self, Society, Culture

November 11-12, 2011 Symposium

Keynote speakers:

Carolyn Dean, (History, International Studies, Brown University), "The Longing for Human Dignity and its Relation to 'Virtuous' Empathy"
Nancy Eisenberg (Psychology, Arizona State University), "Empathy-Related Responding in Children: Relations with Positive Moral and Social Development"
Nancy Sherman (Philosophy, Georgetown University), "Recovering Lost Goodness: Self-Empathy and Self-Forgiveness"

Carolyn Dean	Nancy Eisenberg	Nancy Sherman

Growing out of a two-year grant-supported project on "Virtuous Empathy: Scientific and Humanistic Investigations," this symposium explored theories and practices of empathy. Papers fell into three broad categories: Empathy and Psychology; Empathy and Ethics; and Empathy in Culture, History, and Society. The symposium brought together scholars in literature, psychology and brain science, history, religious studies, philosophy, political science, education, law, sociology, and aesthetics. Empathy's connections to human development; interpersonal relations; and political, cultural, and social life were examined. The event was organized to enable formal and informal exchanges of ideas.

John Bodnar	Sara Konrath

discussion over lunch	discussion at lunch

Simon Calder	Jessica Tooker

Fritz Breithaupt and Kevin Houser	Jody Madeira