University of Humanistic Studies, The Netherlands.
Nurs Ethics. 2019 Aug;26(5):1282-1291. doi: 10.1177/0969733018761172. Epub 2018 Mar 15.
Empathy is a contested concept in the field of care ethics. According to its proponents, empathy is a unique way to connect with others, to understand what is at stake for them, and to help guide moral deliberation. According to its critics, empathy is biased, inaccurate or a form of projection that does not truly grasp and respect the otherness of the other, and that may be distorted by prejudices.
We aim to contribute to a better understanding of the significance of empathy in care ethics by reviewing both the functions and limitations of empathy in this field.
Drawing on literature from care ethics and closely related fields, we identify the relevant functions and limitations of empathy from the relational, epistemic, normative, and political perspectives. These perspectives are drawn from four main characteristics of care ethics, which serve as a concise framework for understanding the significance of empathy.
This article is written as part of an empirical and theoretical research project that aims to better understand the functions and limitations of empathy in care practices, from the perspective of care ethics.
We try to do justice to both the appraisal and critique of empathy in the care ethics literature.
Our findings stress that the relationship between care ethics and empathy is complicated and rife with opposing views. Therefore, we conclude that care ethics is not an ethics of empathy.
Based on our findings, we formulate pathways that may guide the further analysis of empathy in care practices and care ethics.
同理心是关怀伦理领域中一个有争议的概念。根据其支持者的观点，同理心是与他人建立联系、理解他们所面临的问题并帮助指导道德思考的独特方式。根据其批评者的观点，同理心存在偏见、不准确或只是一种投射，无法真正理解和尊重他人的他者性，并且可能受到偏见的扭曲。
我们旨在通过回顾同理心在关怀伦理领域中的作用和局限性，为更好地理解同理心在关怀伦理中的意义做出贡献。
我们借鉴关怀伦理和密切相关领域的文献，从关系、认识、规范和政治视角出发，确定同理心在关怀伦理中的相关作用和局限性。这些视角源自关怀伦理的四个主要特征，为理解同理心的意义提供了一个简洁的框架。
本文是作为一个旨在从关怀伦理的角度更好地理解关怀实践中同理心的作用和局限性的实证和理论研究项目的一部分而撰写的。
我们试图公正地评价关怀伦理文献中对同理心的评价和批判。
我们的研究结果强调，关怀伦理与同理心之间的关系是复杂的，存在着相互对立的观点。因此，我们得出结论，关怀伦理不是一种同理心伦理。
基于我们的研究结果，我们制定了可能指导进一步分析关怀实践和关怀伦理中同理心的途径。
