Should compassion and empathy be taught at school ?

@ThisUsernameIsNotFun said in #30:
> Yeah we were taught about it in school Wednesday wellness
You sure you were taught “empathy” and not conformity and social desirability? ;)

@TeenageDimwit said in #31:
> You sure you were taught “empathy” and not conformity and social desirability? ;)

I don’t even know the meaning of those big words!

Besides, I don’t have empathy tho I learnt it in school. Demons like me are not emphatic people

Can you plz tell me what’s those words mean

@ThisUsernameIsNotFun

Conformity is when many people do things the same way because they see others doing it. It’s like following a trend to fit in.

Social desirability is when people act or say things in a way they think will make them look good or be liked by others.

Hope this helps.

@FromBrusselsWithLove said in #7:
> Of course, it is ! Explaining to a child that he has to imagine how it feels like for the others in different situations

It’s all too easy to say to a kid “you should think in other people’s shoes” but in practice it’s not as simple as that.
People have a tendency to emphasise with those whom they can relate to or share common experiences with. Children’s limited life experiences might hinder their ability to relate to certain situations and make them struggle to empathise with circumstances they haven’t encountered themselves. I.e if you tell a kid that they shouldn’t waste food because there are many kids in poor countries that can’t afford food. It’s likely that they will carry on wasting food since they have never experienced the pain of starvation.

Rather than expecting children to cultivate empathy based on imagination, it's better to provide them with opportunities to engage with diverse situations, cultures, and people.

@Raptor-5

Admittedly, my username is dumb but you really needn’t be so patronising. If you think what I said was complete bullshit, just say so lol. I don’t appreciate the kid gloves tone.

@what_game_is_this said in #28:
> Search for and read up on psychopathy.
>
> Some can't be taught compassion and or empathy.
I have a very good feeling I am one, but yet, I have a lot of empathy (or maybe it's a sociopath I'm thinking of)

@TeenageDimwit said in #27:
> Oh c’mon surely you can do better than that! Your comment is akin to the high-pitched whine of a mosquito trying to get into one’s ear, vexing enough to prompt a swat, yet lacking the oomph to do any real harm if you just let it be. Not joking :P
>
> Seriously though, I am curious why you think empathy can be taught. It be great if you could kindly provide an explanation.
It's as simple as 1+1, yet as hard as rocket science.

@what_game_is_this said in #28:
> Search for and read up on psychopathy.
>
> Some can't be taught compassion and or empathy.
Are you born a psychopath, or do you become one after your parents or whoever is in charge of you takes ypur compassion and empathy and crushes them?

@sgtlaugh said in #29:
> Interesting discussion here. I don't understand why some of you have a definite conclusion like empathy can't be taught, or it is entirely a nurture thing. Usually, like most things in life, black-and-white thinking doesn't work here. I believe it is both nature and nurture, though personally, I believe that nurture is dominant here.
I think black and white all the time. Yet I believe empathy doesn't go one way or another.

I have one thing to say. It's a memo I've had for months now:
In every decision --- I don't care if it's a yes or no answer --- there is always a shade of gray in between the black and white.