Philosophical Empathy

Matthew Ratcliffe (University of York)

Abstract: Is there a sense in which we might be said to empathize with philosophical positions and, if so, what does the relevant form of empathy consist of? Drawing on themes in the work of the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty, I sketch an account of the relationship between philosophical language and philosophical thought, according to which the task of understanding, evaluating, and building upon an explicit philosophical position can involve engaging with the experiential world of its author. If accepted, this account has broader implications for how we conceive of both empathy and philosophical thought.