Those who choose utilitarian ethics have empathy deficit, study finds

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/29/those-who-choose-utilitarian-ethics-have-empathy-deficit-study-finds/




Those who would sacrifice one person to save five others score low on one particular measure of empathy, but not other measures, according to research published this month in the scientific journal PLoS One.

The study of 2748 people by Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht of the Institute of Cognitive Neurology in Argentina and Liane Young of Boston College found individuals who experienced low levels of compassion and concern for other people were more likely to embrace utilitarian ethics, which advocates the greatest good for the greatest number — even if that means harming a minority in the process.

“Utilitarian moral judgment in the current study was specifically associated with reduced empathy and not with any of the demographic or cultural variables tested,” they wrote in the study. “Moreover, utilitarian moral judgment was determined uniquely by levels of empathic concern, independent of other aspects of empathic responding including personal distress and perspective taking.”

The study consisted of three separate experiments involving three moral dilemmas.

[Bonobo]

1. Wa ha ha ha!

That's some nice backup for some recent observations I've made right here.

80-20 indeed!

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2. "Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette"

This is the rational I heard, of course it is never their eggs getting broke.

[Android3.14]

3. Hmmm. Seems rather nonpartisan, or even sheds a light on Republican stupidity

Are those who lack empathy the progressives or the conservatives? In the abortion debate for cons, it's all about the babies, the babies, the babies! For progressives it's all about the effect on teen pregnancy, socio-economic status and such.
So does that indicate the people, who want bankers and CEOs to give up their indecent bonuses in order to pay their employees a fair wage, are less empathetic?
Or, is it that people who are able to make the pragmatic decisions, even at the loss of benefit to themselves but for the greater good, have developed a thick skin to endure the unhappiness they know the decisions will cause for the few?
Spock, do you want to take this one?