James Bond gets his testicles smashed in “Casino Royale,” and male moviegoers grimace and cross their legs. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, which is why many male moviegoers shared that visceral reaction to the testicle smashing scene.The issues begin when empathy begins to blind. Paul Bloom, psychologist and Yale professor, argues in the article “THE BABY IN THE WELL: The case against empathy”, that empathy is a bad thing—that it makes the world worse. While we've been taught that putting yourself in another's shoes cultivates compassion, Mr. Bloom says it actually blinds one of the long-term consequences of their actions. As stated by Mr. Bloom, people care more about a baby in a well than global warming.
