Empathy Is Not Always a Virtue

Empathy Is Not Always a Virtue.

Empathy is an evolved tool for cooperation within small, trusted groups. It arose from maternal care and functions best among people who share norms and responsibilities: the in-group.

When applied without discernment, especially toward those who cannot or will not reciprocate, empathy becomes a liability. It enables manipulation, rewards irresponsibility, and suppresses truth.

That is why empathy must be tested for reciprocity. If someone would not do for you what you are about to do for them, your empathy is being hijacked.

Women, whose evolutionary role centered on nurturing protected kin, are particularly vulnerable to this kind of exploitation in modern environments. They are no longer shielded by tribe, kin, or male guardians, and are often exposed to predatory actors without the means to discern them.

It is the role of men to protect women and children from these manipulations, by filtering false narratives, modeling rational empathy, and enforcing boundaries that preserve truth, reciprocity, and sovereignty.