Empathy is Now Controversial? What Would Atticus Finch Think

There's a commentary in today's New York Times that I've read and reread a couple of times, and can't stop thinking about. The article examines how empathy—which I've long considered a virtue—has become another barometer of one's political and cultural leanings. (There are a lot of these in our current era; it's becoming quite tiresome, honestly.)

For some, empathy is akin to weakness. For others, it is a tool to undermine traditional values. And yet, many—I'd like to think— perceive it as the key to human decency.

As a dad, one thing I've long believed is essential to instill in my children is a sense of empathy. Often, the situations when I tend to lose my temper with my kids are the moments when I feel they are acting without empathy.

And so I've turned to the guideposts of literature to help me explain this concept, which doesn't even develop in most children until they've been on this earth for a decade.

For years, I've held up Atticus Finch as the model of moral reasoning—his advice to Scout to "climb into someone else's skin and walk around in it"—is a line I've used in my own empathy mentoring. I've shared this with countless teenage boys when I taught middle school English. When my son read To Kill a Mockingbird, we discussed what it means to stand up for what's right, even when it's unpopular.

However, after reading the NYT piece, I'm wondering if empathy, as I've understood it, is a bit more complex than I initially thought.

Empathy is Under Attack

What is empathy, exactly?

According to Psychology Today, Empathy is "the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character. Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately."

But there is some serious nuance to this definition. In today's New York Times, "How Empathy Became a Threat - It was once considered a virtue. Why do some people now think it’s a bad thing?" critic Jennifer Szalai digs into some historical context of the concept and concludes that the idea of using empathy as a moral compass by "feeling others' pain" is not necessarily the best pathway to being a good person.

Now, this argument is not occurring in a vacuum. To set up the piece, Szalai references some of the talking points being espoused on the subject by everyone from tech billionaires to Christian thinkers who lean pretty heavily into alarmism. The world's richest man rages publicly against "suicidal empathy." One writer calls empathy "the work of manipulative progressives."

Szalai also walks through various approaches to empathy, including psychologist Kenneth Clark's distinction between "chauvinistic empathy" and "empathic reason." Chauvinistic empathy is when you empathize only with members of your "in-group." (Not a good thing. Think politicians pardoning supporters and the like-minded but not others who had been convicted of similar crimes.)

Empathic reason combines intelligence with sensitivity to others, involving thoughtful consideration that extends beyond mere feelings. This involves ideas central to The Wild Gentleman—in particular, love and community.

As Paul Bloom, author of a nuanced take on empathy, explains in Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion, the current perspectives promoting empathy as toxic are missing the mark. He tells Szalai that there's a growing chorus in the blogo-podcast-sphere arguing, "Empathy is bad. So I guess that justifies me not caring."

Bloom's takeaway: "That’s a terrible point to make." This is the guy who wrote a book entitled, "AGAINST EMPATHY!"

Another thinker Szalai uses to delve deeper into the topic is Hannah Arendt and her concept of "imaginative reasoning." For Arendt, this approach involves empathy that enables the identification of different people's perspectives and positions, leading to the hard work of understanding and growth.

One way to achieve this growth and gain practical wisdom, for Szalai, is through literature. Literature allows for complex explorations that pure emotional connection cannot provide.

One key point in the article is that "reading novels will be our salvation." This is probably the most crucial point of Szalai's argument, which, she points out, does have some limitations. (I won't go into them here.)

Ultimately, the goal is to be better. Empathy is one means of achieving that by being more thoughtful, which is more valuable and sustainable for everyone.

The Flawed, Empathetic Hero

Szalai's points about literature resonate with me because I've used fictional characters to teach empathy, which brings me back to Atticus Finch—the character who shaped my understanding of moral reasoning.

For me, the proper empathetic approach is closest to how Daniel H. Pink describes it in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future: "Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with their heart, seeing with their eyes."

To my mind, this concept of empathy is personified in the fictional character Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. And, as a teacher and a parent, I have used Atticus Finch (the character in the book as well as Gregory Peck's immaculate performance in the film) as the exemplar of what it means to show empathy. And it's not just through his actions that Atticus reveals the principle of empathy. As he explains to Scout:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Like any real person, the Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird is morally complex. He defends someone no one else would in his environment (1930s Jim Crow Alabama), and he is courageous and justified in doing so. He also wants to pass on his beliefs to his children. He is doing the hard work of being a good man.

Through a modern lens, you could argue that Atticus embodies the limitations of empathy. Taking this critical, progressive view, Atticus doesn't do enough to change the system he and Tom Robinson are part of, and, worse, his steady approach is insufficient in the face of incredible injustice.

(Or you could reimagine the character in a worse light with new information on Harper Lee's world available in 2025. Not having read Harper Lee's posthumous Go Set a Watchman, I nevertheless know some of how that book's version of the character is highly flawed.)

I could twist myself in knots thinking about what Atticus signifies in 2025 versus what his character personified when Harper Lee wrote the book in the 1950s.

Atticus Finch's empathy is not infinite. It is properly, humanly, finite. And that is ok. He is still, morally, one of the most outstanding examples of what it means to be a good man. A good American man at that.

Encountering morally complex figures like Atticus, or, say, Jay Gatsby, we are partaking in one aspect of empathetic reasoning, what Hannah Arendt called 'going visiting.' We don't need to solve a greater question about whether a character is good or bad. We read and embody those characters, "get into their skin," as Atticus says, to better understand ourselves and our complex world.

That's where growth happens.

It is pretty wild when you think about it. Empathy is a form of self-improvement only when we act in a selfless manner. This is why reading is such a great way to work those empathic muscles; you are operating in an imaginative realm. Being selflessly empathetic in real life is challenging, but it remains a worthwhile endeavor.

I will continue to strive to be there for others, especially other men. I will still uphold empathy as a worthy value for my kids. But I'm also not going to pretend that I have the concept of empathy solved or that I won't slip into some of the more self-serving aspects of being empathetic.

But if we continue to question ourselves, analyze our motivations, and consider multiple perspectives, we will strive towards the good.

It's work.

But we don't have to do this work alone. Keep reading. Let's get together and talk through these complex topics. Let's undertake this adventure together. Let's support each other.

I'm here for you.