Beyond the Empathy Trap: Cultivating Freedom and Solidarity in an Ethic of Care

A radical rethinking of empathy’s role in light of its weaponization

Justice-motivated caregivers have long viewed empathy as a central tool for addressing political division, intergenerational trauma, racism, sexism, and even evil itself. However, social theorists and scholars of religion who study the political behavior of evangelical and protestant Christians are noting new and unexpected limits for the ethics of empathy. How does one empathize with those who explicitly refuse to reciproc...