Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

Stoic Empathy – Compassion Without Burnout

17 snips
Jul 24, 2025
Shermin Kruse, a negotiation consultant and law professor, discusses the intriguing concept of Stoic Empathy and how it can help maintain compassion without leading to burnout. She differentiates Stoic Empathy from traditional compassion models, exploring common misconceptions about empathy and its relationship with anger. Shermin shares practical tools for fostering healthy emotional engagement and emphasizes the importance of journaling and mindfulness practices. This transformative approach offers insights for facing global injustices while preserving emotional resilience.
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ANECDOTE

Stoic Roots In Early Life

  • Shermin Kruse grew up in post-revolutionary Iran where stoic self-control was modeled daily to survive attacks and oppression.
  • That upbringing taught her adaptive emotional control long before she studied Stoic philosophy formally.
ANECDOTE

Empathy From Legal Practice

  • Shermin recounts her two-decade career as an attorney requiring precise reading of judges, juries, and witnesses to influence outcomes.
  • She contrasts emotional empathy with the cognitive empathy needed in high-stakes professional roles like ER doctors or lawyers.
INSIGHT

Empathy As A Strategic Spectrum

  • Empathy lies on a spectrum between cognitive and emotional forms and is situationally selectable.
  • Stoic judgment lets you choose where to fall on that spectrum based on role and goals.
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