Re: [silk] Empathy
On the topic of empathy - an observation that is really an invitation to hear what others think of this “problem”. Context: Am working these days in the areas of conflict resolution towards social change by bringing together business-govt-society interests Empathy is often presented as the cornerstone of a dialogue based on interests and not positions, and it is expected to narrow rational and emotional divides amongst parties. Yet, I am presented with a fundamental problem that the very notion of “empathy” is based on (possibly reduced but still present) sense of “othering” - which I find counterintuitive to the notion of empathy. Would love to hear your thoughts on this perceived dissonance. Warm wishes and stay sa/n/f/e, Krishna PS. Loud thinking: Is this a Derrida-esque constitutive-other kind of situation. I mean, the “other” is not the opposite, but the constitutive complement. How does that redefine our thinking of empathy, though?
Re: [silk] Empathy
What you have said is unobjectionable, though I am not entirely sure if you are making an argument or stating a tautology. I understood it as - empathy is a skill that can be developed - local maxima are not Truth The mental processes that underpin empathy are the ones I use to manipulate or otherwise "convince" someone of something. I see it as a mechanism that can used to various ends my myself or by others on me. Something like hunger or lust. So in this sense, I do not see it as a skill that can be improved by practice. Lastly, local maxima are all we have. I see this as a consquence of Arrow's impossibility theorem. One can move from one to the other and I can't tell if this is in anyway different than if I never change.
Re: [silk] Hello from Shreyasee
Welcome to Silk Shreyasee! Interactional economics and women's property ownership! I look forward to hearing more. I'm currently in Cleveland, thus the relatively timely reply. :) Cheers, -- Charles
Re: [silk] Hello from Shreyasee
Welcome to the list Shreyasee! From a lurker who (ashamedly) only rarely does more than appreciate the discussions of the list from afar, we have some excellent fantasy (though the last one I think was non-fictional) book recommendation discussions that rise up. Admittedly, it seems that the science fiction ones are those that come to mind, but that might be a personal bias. I know Temple University well; a friend (just) received her doctorate in neuroscience in your Psych department, and I spent a few weeks back in August with your Biostats department before moving back to New Haven. Admittedly, I never really came to understand how Philly was cheaper, but then again I may have always been fixated upon attempting to navigate the public transportation there. The NYC MTA always seemed so logical in comparison. best, landon On 5/18/20 1:46 PM, Shreyasee Das wrote: > Good afternoon folks, > > > > Shreyasee (pronounced “sray-o-she”) here, the newest “find” of Udhay. Udhay > said I owed all of you an introduction, and to be honest it makes me > nervous every time someone asks me to do this. Among many other things, I > never know what level of information is the most optimal, but here’s me > trying my best to accomplish this. > > > > You may be wondering why the *afternoon*? I currently reside in > Philadelphia the city that’s supposed to be “always sunny” (it’s > approximately 1:45 PM here). Philly is often also known as the cheaper New > York, my bank balance often appreciates this description. Why am I in > Philly? I am an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Economics at Temple > University. Prior to that, I was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the > University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, one of the campuses under the > University of Wisconsin System. I got my Doctoral degree, my Master degree, > my Bachelor degree, all in Economics, all at the University of Houston. > > > > My dissertation was on water allocation rules (for example, the Krishna > Basin allocation rules) and how it impacted agricultural output in the > region. I’ve since moved away but have been trying to come back to access > to water and tying it with my current research interests. Currently, my > main theme of interest is Gender Economics, more specifically, women’s > access to property in India and how it could be a mechanism to empower > them. Working on this topic has introduced me to the many pitfalls of > Economics, the most important being the lack of intersectionality in how we > conduct our work. This is something that I strive to improve upon in my own > work, both scholarly work and pedagogically. > > > > Who am I outside of the above? In no particular order of timeline: > > > > Home for me is Hyderabad. I visit every year, sometimes twice a year. This > year is a whole different story. I did one year of high school (12thgrade) > in the US (in a small town – Lubbock, Texas, home of Buddy Holly) and that > was a culture shock, to say the least. I’ve dabbled in dance and want to > get back to it as soon as I can. I’ve forgotten a lot of my training and > really do want to master the art form again. I haven’t read works of > fiction since 3rd year of grad school, and this is the year to fix that, or > so I claim. > > > > I’ll stop here. > > > > I look forward to engaging with all of you, virtually and face-to-face > (when the opportune moment arises) > > > > Best > > Shreyasee > > > > Shreyasee Das, Ph.D. > > Assistant Professor-Instructional > > Department of Economics, Temple University > > Website: https://sites.google.com/site/shreyaseedas > -- Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
[silk] Hello from Shreyasee
Good afternoon folks, Shreyasee (pronounced “sray-o-she”) here, the newest “find” of Udhay. Udhay said I owed all of you an introduction, and to be honest it makes me nervous every time someone asks me to do this. Among many other things, I never know what level of information is the most optimal, but here’s me trying my best to accomplish this. You may be wondering why the *afternoon*? I currently reside in Philadelphia the city that’s supposed to be “always sunny” (it’s approximately 1:45 PM here). Philly is often also known as the cheaper New York, my bank balance often appreciates this description. Why am I in Philly? I am an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Economics at Temple University. Prior to that, I was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, one of the campuses under the University of Wisconsin System. I got my Doctoral degree, my Master degree, my Bachelor degree, all in Economics, all at the University of Houston. My dissertation was on water allocation rules (for example, the Krishna Basin allocation rules) and how it impacted agricultural output in the region. I’ve since moved away but have been trying to come back to access to water and tying it with my current research interests. Currently, my main theme of interest is Gender Economics, more specifically, women’s access to property in India and how it could be a mechanism to empower them. Working on this topic has introduced me to the many pitfalls of Economics, the most important being the lack of intersectionality in how we conduct our work. This is something that I strive to improve upon in my own work, both scholarly work and pedagogically. Who am I outside of the above? In no particular order of timeline: Home for me is Hyderabad. I visit every year, sometimes twice a year. This year is a whole different story. I did one year of high school (12thgrade) in the US (in a small town – Lubbock, Texas, home of Buddy Holly) and that was a culture shock, to say the least. I’ve dabbled in dance and want to get back to it as soon as I can. I’ve forgotten a lot of my training and really do want to master the art form again. I haven’t read works of fiction since 3rd year of grad school, and this is the year to fix that, or so I claim. I’ll stop here. I look forward to engaging with all of you, virtually and face-to-face (when the opportune moment arises) Best Shreyasee Shreyasee Das, Ph.D. Assistant Professor-Instructional Department of Economics, Temple University Website: https://sites.google.com/site/shreyaseedas
Re: [silk] Empathy
On Sun, May 17, 2020 at 10:01 PM Alok Singh wrote: > My problem with empathy, I have found, is believing I have it. > This is specifically the reason why I proposed the question "What are things my bête noire is correct about". The act of finding positive things to say about The Other involves perspective taking, and in that perspective taking one shifts from the local maxima that one has been marooned on. In other words, believe what you may about how much empathy you may have, putting yourself in someone else's shoes is empathy in practice that works irrespective of whether you think you have a lot (or a little) of empathy. Thaths > > Example 934 of the problems arising from believing my own propaganda. > > On Sun, 17 May, 2020, 21:30 Dave Long, wrote: > > > OK, if I have to come up with a bête noire to see all of yours, I shall: > > > > Advertising: can produce slick content for lifestyle spots > > > > -Dave > > > > (unfortunately while true for print and video, it doesn't seem to extend > > to web advertising. Gresham's law at work?) > > > > > > > -- Homer: Hey, what does this job pay? Carl: Nuthin'. Homer: D'oh! Carl: Unless you're crooked. Homer: Woo-hoo!
