Empathetic Interaction: Understanding Empathy with Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences

A core component of human interaction is empathy. The importance of empathy has rightfully generated much interest from both the scientific and philosophical communities. The nature of empathy is complex. Given this complexity, it makes intuitive sense to utilize the best investigative tools at our disposal to study empathy. My thesis argues that collaboration between the cognitive sciences and phenomenology mutually informs and advances an understanding of empathy that would not be possible without both disciplines. Both phenomenology and the cognitive sciences are necessary for a more complete understanding of empathy because each approach offers unique perspectives that mutually reveal important aspects of cognitive and affective empathy. Without phenomenology, a study of empathy will lack an embodied perspective that provides the lived experience of empathy. And without the cognitive sciences, a study of empathy will lack an objective methodology about the mechanisms responsible for empathetic function. Thus, these epistemologically separate perspectives will be shown to be mutually informative which further advances our understanding of empathy.