Towards an Ethics of Empathy: Morality and the Recognition of Otherness

By Roberto Marchesini

This book examines the complex interplay between morality and the recognition of otherness. It explores ethical behavior through the lenses of narrow morality (restraint) and broad morality (action), emphasizing the need to evaluate moral relevance based on the qualities of otherness. The book aims to challenge anthropocentric frameworks, and understand otherness by avoiding both identification and alienation. The work examines the ethical dimensions of animality, emphasizing shared ontological foundations (metapredicates) and the heteronomous dependence of all species. Central to this exploration is the recognition of animal subjectivity. Traditional ethical models, including Maslow's hierarchy, are also revisited by addressing not only suffering but also the diverse expressions of pleasure across species. The book advocates an ethics of empathy that integrates affective engagement with cognitive rigor, fostering a balanced moral approach toward non-human entities based on a sentimental education that bridges ethical theory and empathetic action.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1837111758
• ISBN13: 9781837111756
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Ethics International Press, Inc
• Length: 250 Pages