What is more effective at making a net positive impact on the world, empathy or reason?

As a facilitator and coach, who is passionate about creating a better planet for all living beings, I often reflect on what makes a positive impact on the world. Empathy and reason both have significant roles in creating a better world, but which one is more effective? In this blog, I’ll explore and share my perspective on the matter, informed by my experiences and knowledge.

What is Empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It means to put oneself in someone else’s shoes and see the world from their perspective. It’s an essential human ability that allows us to connect deeply with others, feel their pain and joy, and build robust, healthy relationships. Empathy is one of the primary ways humans developed social structure and cohesiveness throughout history, and it’s an essential component of civilization.

The Power of Empathy

Empathy has an immense power to create a positive impact on the world. If we can connect to others' feelings, we can understand the root of their struggles and pain, and in turn, be more effective at addressing their needs. Empathy enables people to work together more collaboratively and successfully in solving complex social problems. For example, the non-profit Charity Water created a campaign on their website that allowed people to see how clean water could benefit individuals in third-world countries. This successful campaign leveraged empathy to create a big impact by helping donors understand and visualize the world from the perspective of the beneficiaries.

The Limitations of Empathy

While empathy has enormous potential, it's not suitable for every situation. Empathy is an emotional response, and it can cloud judgment when not combined with rationality. Emotional responses may lead to quick, shortsighted decisions and clouded judgment. People may empathize with a cause or individual and respond based on that emotional response, without taking the time to understand the carefully balanced systems at work. We must use rationality to ensure we take the time to consider how a decision can impact others in the long term.

What is Reason?

Reason is the ability to think logically and reflectively. It’s the intellectual process of considering evidence and drawing conclusions based on it. Reasoning usually involves a balance between emotional and logical responses. It's an instrumental component of critical thinking.

The Power of Reason

Reason has proven an instrumental tool for solving complex social problems. It enables people to consider and balance the impact of a solution on a broader scope. With the abundance of scientific data and statistics, we have an opportunity to make informed decisions that create the most significant positive impact for all of humanity. When used correctly, reason can bring different perspectives to develop an innovative solution to any issue.

The Limitations of Reason

Reason can be overly focused on transactional reasoning, which reduces complex systems to a series of cause-and-effect relationships. It doesn't always take into account the nuances of human emotion and can easily overlook the potential long-term impacts of decisions. For example, a strongly reasoned decision may be to cut costs and increase profits for a corporation. This decision could lead to job losses and economic hardship for many other people who depended on those positions for their livelihood.

How to Integrate Empathy and Reason

To maximize the impact of empathy and reason, they must be integrated. Both processes are essential and powerful when used together. Reason is instrumental when it comes to building and evaluating social programs and policies, while empathy can help inform decision-making by tapping into an emotional response that leads to more thoughtful and generous behaviour.

For both empathy and reason to be effective, one must first build an emotional connection to an abstract idea or situation. Empathy allows us to develop that emotionally charged connection, involve our long-term vision and reasoning to determine the next steps for creating lasting positive change. In their book, Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism, Vanessa Machado De Oliveira describes how to integrate empathy and reason into all aspects of our ethical decision-making. When we understand our shared humanity and recognize how our actions impact those around us, we position ourselves to make more calculated decisions that generate a positive impact on society.