Roman wrote:
But isn't lack of empathy the definition of selfishness?
No, it most emphatically is not.
Lack of empathy implies that one has trouble reading and/or picking up on the emotional cues of another person, and as a result, is unable to imagine the emotional state of that person.
Selfishness refers to a preoccupation with one's own personal gain, when it would be a small bother to concern oneself more with another in a given situation.
In other words, it could be simplified to lack of empathy stemming from an
inability. while selfishness has an
unwillingness at its core. The two are, however, not opposites. They are two fairly unrelated phenomena.
Empathy and selfishness are also not mutually exclusive. One could lack empathy and be very selfless, and someone else could be selfish, yet have no problem empathising with people. Especially that last statement may seem like a contradiction, but you'd be surpri
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clarity of thought before rashness of action