Lack of Empathy and Dehumanisation

The final chapter addresses the topic of the lack of empathy. The idea is to see what would happen if empathy were kept outside the ethical realm. The supported claim is that this would constitute a serious deficit for morality ultimately leading to indifference and, in the worst scenario, dehumanisation and brutality. The argument is backed by an extensive analysis of the extermination camps and by an investigation on shame and on being in the presence of others conducted with suggestions stemming, i.a., from Sartre, Levinas, and Scheler.