Empathy and Moral Development

This chapter addresses the issue of whether empathy is a necessary feature for the development of morality. Scholars who deny this role usually tend to stress the importance of imitation and role models to the detriment of empathy. However, in this chapter, it is shown not only that imitation without empathy cannot suffice for the development of a healthy, reflected, and adult morality, but also that the psychological mechanism of imitation based on role models depends on empathy as well to work correctly. In particular, empathy seems fundamental to learn moral rules.