Does Fiction Promote Empathy?
Do fictional narratives, like those found in novels, plays, and films, promote empathy? Does emotion-based empathy spur people to alleviate suffering in the real world? Namwali Serpell calls into question much of the conventional thinking about empathy in relation to art. Drawing on thinkers like Arendt and Brecht, Serpell points to fiction\u2019s capacity to enlarge our understanding to encompass the positions of others.\nNamwali Serpell, \u201cThe Banality of Empathy\u201d NYR Daily\nNamwali Serpell, The Old Drift Hogarth, 2019\nThe post Does Fiction Promote Empathy? appeared first on KPFA.