Balancing Stoicism and Empathy

In this episode, I chat with Shermin Kruse. Shermin is a globally recognized negotiation consultant, law professor at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, and TEDx producer. She is the author of the recently published book Stoic Empathy: The Road Map to a Life of Influence, Self-Leadership, and Integrity. We discuss empathy and how it can be combined with Stoic resilience to help us maintain our compassion while avoiding burnout

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Highlights

* How did you become interested in Stoicism?

* What is Stoic Empathy – and how does it differ from unhelpful forms of empathy?

* What are the most common misconceptions about empathy that you encounter?

* What’s the relationship between empathy and anger in your view?

* In your book, you discuss why traditional models of compassion might fall short.

* From your perspective, what are the key limitations of these models, and what does neuroscience reveal about why a different approach might be necessary?

* What tools do you recommend for people who want to maintain healthy empathy and compassion?

* How can we face injustice and suffering in the world without shutting down or freaking out?

Links

* Stoic Empathy on Amazon

* Shermin Kruse’s Website

Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.