It Is What We Do With Empathy That Counts!

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

The headline of the March 5th CNN What Matters article by Zachary West stopped me in my tracks: “Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy.”¹ Certainly, we in psychiatry would not say to save our patients from empathy, would we? For individual patients, it helps us understand their point of view emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally. Conveying that seems to enhance a positive alliance. Besides whatever natural empathy one has, some of it can be—and is—taught during psychiatric residency training and continuing education. Given that empathy is such a desired skill in psychiatry, how could it be so dangerous?

In a recent biography, Musk was described as lacking empathy.² Has that deficit made it easier for him to cut so many jobs so quickly?

Musk has gone so far as to be trying to combat what he calls “civilization suicidal empathy.” Part of that is the expectation that empathy leads to helping those in need, who will later become Democrats. He professes a desire to save humanity, whether through electric cars, interplanetary settlement, and protecting the First Amendment. His biographer, Walter Isaacson, commented that “in fact, he has more empathy for humanity in general than he often has for the 20 people around him.”²

Although empathy is generally viewed as positive, it is what you do with it that counts. When I worked in a medium security prison, many inmates with sociopathic tendencies actually had good empathy, especially cognitive empathy, so that they could use that to manipulate others, including myself. Empathic assumptions need to be checked out because they can be erroneous. Empathy seems to be an essential tool for convincing people to join cults as the expressed love and emotional nourishment that the needy crave is used to draw in recruits.

The same challenges for empathy exist in society and in the policies that effect the public. That is one of the reasons why those in need tend to believe in political promises and vote without any verification that the promises will be kept. Musk really conveys the opposite poll of the empathy spectrum. Do not bother with it and just do whatever is politically expedient. Scapegoating others is another way to reduce any discomforting empathy.

Therefore, empathy without any qualifications can be helpful or harmful, or anything in-between. What generally makes empathy such a positive psychiatric trait is when it is coupled with compassion and the practical knowledge for helping people. So yes, Musk could be right in the sense that both too much or too little of empathy can turn out to be harmful. Where we importantly come in as far as the public is concerned is to educate them about empathy.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

Reference

1. Wolf ZB. Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy. CNN. March 5, 2025. Accessed March 11, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/elon-musk-rogan-interview-empathy-doge/index.html

2. Isaacson W. Elon Musk. Simon & Schuster; 2023.