Jeremy Rifkin - The Empathic Civilisation

Bestselling author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our development and our society.

• Category

  Education

[TurnipTruckSurvivor]

Wow, it's like this guy has been in my head.

[jungian9111]

" We each exist only in relation to the other." Perhaps your group-think stifling garbage is not up to par ...

" A highly stratified society generally is low on empathetic consciousness because such societies are segmented between so many status categories that the ability to empathize beyond one's own group, both up and down the hierarchy, is limited. "

Jeremy Rifkin

[lovebloc]

I wonder if Mr. Rifkin has heard of The Zeitgeist Movement. The train of thought is very similar, except Rifkin believes that the current monetary system can offer the solutions where TZM doesn't.

[Kare Sevill]

Goody, have had some thoughts like this. *buying book

[rh001YT]

People, wake up! What makes a society prosperous and enduring is hierarchical order which does make sure that the worst know who they are, though they might not like knowing it. The Strong make the society, the weak just go along. As for empathy, it often takes great strength & courage. I note again the case of the Machine Gun Preacher...can you see Rifkin taking on the LRA? Rifkin is the weak, a grifter fattening his pillow with tuition money. One wonders if he has greatly helped anyone!

[rh001YT]

Is empathy teaching one to fish, or giving free fish? Why is Gambia so backwards, Singapore so forwards? No info has been withheld from Gambia...it seems they don't want to work very hard or study. Is Taiwan prosperous because Gen. Kai-Shek was so empathetic, or because he was so hard? Was Mao empathetic - he allowed his wife to execute the Mayor of Peking via death by a thousand cuts - have you ever seen that - gruesome! Yet Mao "leveled the playing field" ...hmmmm...it didn't last.

[rh001YT]

The "empathy" of Euro nations has turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, and most of the population grifters. Only the Germans whose blood runs ice cold are faring well. Spain, Portugal,Greece,Italy,Cyprus - the Romantics - what fools! And the empathetic UN puts no fear in Joseph Kony - he fears only the USA motorcycle outlaw "Machine Gun Preacher". Euros and those who think they are so empathetic have done nothing for the Congo - you empathetic types are hedonists & cowards.

[rh001YT]

Rifkin should be seen as a kook and his whole presentation rejected. Humans are not going to be extinct in a century - puhlease. In the case of global warming-if it's as bad as some say-there will be more biomass, not less. More rain, not less. Tunisia will be again like Carthage of old. Already massive plankton blooms have been seen under arctic ice. India grows more food than it can store. Burma is poised to become the rice bowl of Asia once again, perhaps in 10 years a 5 fold yield!

[rh001YT]

1 percent of biomass, humans, use 24% of the 99%, and we're monsters? According to whose rule of measure? The anti-human perspective is a emotional/mental disorder. Whenever have rats had such a view of themselves? Humans are mammals and like all such consume much more biomass than their body weight - would it be better if we weighed more (same consumption) so that the percent went down? What is the correct percentage? Evolutionary success is now a bad thing?

[rh001YT]

When has experience proved them wrong...I can't think of an example. Of course, one can quibble over the meaning of "healthy", and most will want to define that in self-centric and identity-group centric ways. Note how "corporations" are demonized, but generally not Apple..why not? Or how about the outrageously profitable Olive Garden? Poverty alleviation and prosperity creation in Asia is driven by selfish business interests & no Indian is concerned that he's taken an American's job.

[rh001YT]

I think you don't know much about history. For instance, India, formerly Hindustan, is the most stable "society" we know of, and has never been an empathetic place, quite the contrary. The Maori, stable I suppose until the English arrived, were bloodthirsty murderous savages. Burma, still there despite brief English period, is oft referred to in Asia as the Kingdom of War (see the movie same name). In India today many pull themselves out of poverty by their bootstraps and make millions $USD

[EmperorofCartoons]

"But doesn't empathy only prevail in a life freed from violence and necessity first?"

Exactly.