Classical Studies 

Philosophy

Empathy Studies—an emerging interdisciplinary subfield, combining aspects of moral philosophy, moral and social psychology, neuroscience, etc.

In Empathy Studies I’d love to continue researching these three interrelated problems:

 1. We empathize most readily with those most similar to us (Aristotle), because we understand that what befalls them can befall us. Does this mean that empathy exists in tension with diversity? If so, how can we best manage and mitigate this tension? 

 2. Is empathy a result of nature or nurture? How can we map which parts of empathic ability trace to which cause? For those aspects which can be nurtured, what can clinical investigation establish as the best practices for nurturing empathy?

 3. Is empathy a moral virtue? Is it something we choose, an excellence, a habit, or is it more like an automatic emotion (laughing or weeping)? How much empathy do we owe to others, including those with whom we disagree? How can Empathy Studies inform an ethic of xenia (hospitality) toward asylum seekers in a global and still troubled world? How can it enrich our discourse on human rights?

Animal rights: Animals have been around longer than humans, yet we are inflicting so much harm on them: Elephants in captivity, for instance. We must protect them, because it is their world, as much as ours, and all the more because of our power over them.

Free speech: Everyone should be able to speak their mind without fearing consequences; but doing so while maintaining respect for others and their beliefs requires a good will that cannot be legislated or policed.

Architecture/interior design: I love designing houses, floorplans, mapping out rooms with furniture, creating my own imaginary worlds, dream worlds. 

Socrates, because he chose to die rather than live an unexamined life. 

Homer, because he crafted wonderful stories that teach us important lessons (the danger of anger, the importance of empathy), and because he preserved the values and customs of the archaic Mediterranean world for scholars like me to study today.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, because The Great Gatsby inspired in me an interest in cross-textual criticism: I detected echoes of Homer in the novel, did some research, and found that he claimed he actually only read Homer while writing The Great Gatsby! This taught me to trust my instincts–when I pick up on something, it’s always worth being curious about: There might be something more to it. 

First of all, I’d thank Socrates for showing me the moral importance of asking questions. Then I’d ask him how to live with integrity in a world of political spin, misinformation, and social media outrage. Should I engage with people who deny facts—or walk away? When does dialogue become complicity? How do I hold truth sacred without becoming self-righteous? I’d want to know how Socrates saw the line between principled resistance and martyrdom. Above all, I’d ask how to keep the examined life honest—how to keep digging even when the answers shake my identity or alienate my peers.

I’d like to say a bit more about my passion for empathy research and how I hope to pursue it at Duke.

My interest isn’t just academic. Growing up in an interfaith family taught me to value dialogue and find common ground. Later, as a mentor, when I was told not to empathize with underserved students because they needed to “self-regulate,” my disagreement led me to examine empathy all the way back to Homer. 

How to increase diversity without decreasing intergroup empathy is a challenge deserving especially serious study. During recent campus debates, leaders called for empathy without defining it or explaining how to foster it. Perhaps that’s not surprising, since we haven’t researched empathy with the same vigor and rigor as we have business marketing, computer science or biology. 

At Duke I can do the interdisciplinary research the topic requires. I’d love to explore facets of empathy in the Kennan Institute, Classical Studies, the Social Science Research Institute, my Visions of Freedom LLC, the Institute for Brain Sciences, and perhaps in a Program II concentration. I’d even love to design and teach an Empathy Studies curriculum someday! Maybe it’s a moral moonshot. But maybe that’s exactly what we need.