SOCIAL EMPATHY The Art of Understanding Others

Listeners hear a discussion of how people deal with those they assume to be fundamentally different from themselves. Explaining how individuals move from sympathy to empathy to social empathy, the author navigates the values, challenges, and possibilities that develop when society teaches a more thoughtful approach to difference. Celeste Oliva's narration waxes and wanes. Sometimes she can be emphatic and deliver the intention behind Segal words, but at other times her voice is languid, and she sounds disengaged. The performance does not do much to invigorate listeners with Segal's much needed discussion about bridging divides people often think are unbridgeable. The author's argument for social empathy is rooted in research from fields such as psychology, sociology, brain science. L.E. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2019]